Pools Of Shadow, Pools of Light
by cmdrjones
Summary: Enterprise D vs the Devastator, along with a few new surprises. Prelude and inteludes continued... the mysteries get more complicated....
1. Chapter 1

**Pools of Shadow, Pools of Light**

Two gazes locked upon one another, two men in the midst of a tempestuous verbal exchange. One, a so-called omnipotent and all-powerful being, the other, a French born starship captain. Both refused to back down even one measure from the other. They stood on the main recreation deck of the latter's vessel which traversed the vast distances between the stars.

The 'omnipotent' one appeared totally human, tall with thick lips, large expressive brown eyes, and an unruly shock of brown hair clinging above a wide forehead. He wore a red and black one piece uniform identical to his hosts'. After a pause, he continued his tirade.

"Oh you may not trust me, but you do need me. You're not prepared for what awaits you," the being known as 'Q' warned, a knowing edge crept into his voice.

The older man, balding, yet regal in aspect and carriage glanced out of the ten-forward arc of bay windows. His name: Jean-Luc Picard; one of the most famous, and most capable starship captains in the United Federation of Planets. Outside his ship, a glittering starfield decorated the cold vacuum of space. The solitary vessel was the storied and venerable Enterprise, flagship of the Federation.

Two more uniformed officers charged into the bar, intent on rescuing their captain from whatever force had brought him there unawares. The first officer, dark haired, bearded William Riker glanced at Q and at captain Picard, then motioned for the barrel chested Klingon security chief, Mr. Worf, to stand down.

"Ah, the redoubtable Commander Riker," Q said jauntily, his eyes slid over to Worf as the Klingon moved to flank him instinctively, "and Micro brain! Growl for me-- let me know you still care."

The Klingon officer tensed in anger, but did not give Q the satisfaction.

Picard glanced back over his shoulder at Q then turned, his arms crossed defiantly, "Q!"

Q smiled smugly, "You think you are prepared? Let me tell you Picard. It's not safe out here! It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross." Q knitted his brows and glowered darkly, "but it's not for the timid."

"I don't know that we're prepared," Picard declared in his elegant British baritone, "but I do know that we are ready to confront it."

"Really?" Q cocked his head incredulously.

"Absolutely," Picard took a step forward, "that's why we're out here."

"Oh the arrogance," Q regarded Picard with contempt then turned to a dark-skinned woman who stood in the shadows, melding with the dim lighting of ten-forward, her bar. She wore a dark blue sequined dress and a strange circular cap shaped like a flat-topped mushroom. "They don't have a clue what's 'out here.'"

Guinan replied with a winsome smile, her sensuous lips pulled back from perfect white teeth, "they will learn, adapt. That's their great advantage," she said in rich musical tones that flooded the bar like a gentle wave lapping at the shore of a distant and tranquil sea.

Q gritted his teeth and glared back at her, "they are moving faster than expected, farther than they should."

"By whose calculation?" Picard interjected.

"You judge yourselves against the pitiful adversaries you have so far encountered. The Klingons, the Romulans, they are nothing compared to what's waiting," he paused again.

Picard blanched at Q's insinuation, while Guinan looked on impassively. Riker contained himself, but the muscles in his jaw and shoulders clenched tight. His eyes blazing, Worf uttered a throaty growl.

"Picard," Q began, ignoring the rest, "you are about to move into regions of space containing wonders more incredible than you can possibly imagine, and terrors to freeze your soul. I offer myself as a guide only to be rejected out of hand."

Riker spoke for the first time, "I guess we'll just have to get along the best we can without you," he spat.

"What justifies this smugness?" Q asked. He rolled his eyes and tossed his head sarcastically.

Picard moved next to his first officer, "we're not smug, nor arrogant. We are resolute and we are willing. But more than that we are determined," the Captains voice rose defiantly during his pronouncement. He stabbed at the air with his index finger to punctuate each point, "your help is not required."

There was a short ghastly silence. Q narrowed his eyes at Picard.

"Well, let's just see how ready you are."

"Q!" Guinan cried out, "don't do this!"

Q waved his hand as one would to shoo away a bothersome insect. An odd rushing noise accompanied the gesture. A wave of energy struck the Enterprise which streaked off into space like a leaf caught in a hurricane.

The Starfleet officers stared open mouthed at the blur of stars streaking past the ten forward bay windows. This speed was obviously far beyond the capabilities of their ship.

The saucer shaped, gull winged craft spun wildly. Its crew and passengers struggled in vain to control it for a few terrible minutes. With the superstructure groaning around them and the computer controls hopelessly locked, the utter futility of their actions began to panic even the crew of the mighty Enterprise.

Suddenly, the ship came out of the spin on its own and stopped. The stars reduced from bright streaks in the heavens to familiar glowing orbs.

Picard tapped an exaggerated triangular shaped badge in his right chest, "bridge, this is the captain, all stop."

"Answering all stop," came the reply, a youth's voice.

"Status," Picard barked.

Another voice came over the intercom, smooth, clipped, and precise. "According to long range scans we are not in the milky way galaxy. No nearby systems are recognizable."

"Can you estimate our location?" Rikers' eyes rolled upwards unconsciously as he answered the intercom.

"Negative commander, I will need to go to stellar cartography and initiate a mapping program." The second voice cut off curtly.

"Thank you Mr. Data, wait until Captain Picard or I return to the bridge."

"Affirmative commander." Data signed off.

Riker turned to Q, "why?"

"'Why?' Why, to give you a taste of the wider universe. This is a test of," Q paused then grinned crookedly, "of your bonds of 'fellowship,' because even your precious Federation is insignificant compared to some things in the universe." He turned to Picard leaving Riker blinking in confusion; "Con permiso Capitan. The hall has been rented, the orchestra engaged. It's time to see if you can dance."

With a flash, Q disappeared.

A beat.

"Mr. Worf?"

"Yes captain."

"Head to the bridge, I need you at tactical. Begin scanning the area."

"Aye sir," The gruff Klingon exchanged nods with Commander Riker then headed for the turbolift at a trot.

Picard turned to Guinan. She stood near one of the windows gazing silently. A binary star system loomed nearby, crowned a large dull brown planet and several of her moons.

"Guinan, do you have any idea where we are?"

The bartender closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She seemed to retreat inside herself yet still aware at the same time.

"I don't know," she mumbled.

Picard moved closer, "You don't know what? Guinan, please you must tell me."

"Don't know if I should tell you."

Riker's eyes widened, "she's in a trance."

She smiled, eyes still closed, "yes and no Will. I imagine for you it's like visiting Earth and taking a breath of her air after a long, long time away from home."

The captain took her arm gently, "Have your people been in this galaxy before?"

"Only in legend," she exhaled slowly and opened her eyes.

"If you can tell me anything..." Picard's eyes bore into hers.

_Forgive me! _ Guinan sighed softly, "all I can say right now is that if Q did what I think he did, then our arrival will be a great disturbance no matter what you decide to do."

"But where is here?" Picard grated in a harsh whisper.

"Not only where captain, but when."

Picard gaped at her for a moment then at the desert world below. He tapped his comm badge, "Mr. Data, status report."

"Sir it seems that the system closest to us is a binary star system, supporting one class M planet orbited by two moons. There are six other uninhabitable planets." Data's clipped diction ended suddenly.

"Any signs of life Data?" Riker asked.

"Affirmative commander, the class M world shows human and multiple alien life signs along with advanced technology. There are currently two small and one large craft of unknown design in orbit. I am detecting one major spaceport, a half a dozen cities and numerous smaller settlements. The exact population is difficult to gauge, but sensors detect a multitude of species numbering into the millions of individual life forms. Predominant life form readings are human."

"My God," Picard breathed. "Humans? Here? In a completely different galaxy?"

"I think this qualifies as a first contact situation Captain," Riker nodded toward the turbo lift.

"Of course number one, let's go." Picard turned to Guinan once again, "if you can think of anything else, don't hesitate to call me."

"I'll do that Jean-Luc," Guinan smiled. They trotted away, and she whispered softly to herself, "may the force be with you."

Picard and Riker entered the bridge moments later and took up their respective positions. Captain Picard's chair sat nestled in the center of a crescent of crew stations running around the rear of the bridge, including tactical and science. To his right was the first officer's chair and his left the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi; a striking brunette and half Betazoid empath. To his front left sat Lt. Commander Data, Starfleet's only android officer, and on his front right was dark haired, soft featured teenager, acting ensign Wesley Crusher at the helm.

"Mr. Worf what can you tell us about those craft?"

The huge, dark-skinned Klingon straightened visibly at the tactical station above and behind Captain Picard. He bent to his task immediately tapping the touch screens on his console. The bony crown of his forehead merged with his tightly knitted brows as he worked, which only enhanced his fearsome visage.

"Without an active scan I have limited information Captain, but they have very high energy readings. They appear to use Ion drives for sub-warp maneuvers and emit an easily traceable exhaust," Worfs bass voice rumbled.

"What about their sensors, can they detect us?" Riker cocked his head to the side and glared suspiciously at the planet.

"I do not believe so commander, not at this range. We are receiving low power sensor emissions from them, but at this distance we most likely appear as background noise," Worf pronounced with confidence.

"Mr. Data, do they appear to have developed warp drive at least?" Captain Picard leaned back in his seat.

"Doubtful sir, their power signatures are more consistent with a fusion reaction than a matter/anti-matter warp core. None of the vessels are equipped with nacelles capable of generating a subspace field." Data turned around in his seat and faced the command crew. His golden skin stood out stark against his slicked black hair and his black and gold uniform.

Picard exhaled softly and even the stolid, bearded Riker traded reassuring glances with his former love, Counselor Troi.

_It seems this new galaxy isn't as frightening as Q made it out to be_. "Ensign Crusher, take us into a standard orbit, one half impulse. Data, begin to analyze their communications, I want to be sure we can talk to them once we get there."

"Aye captain," both Wesley and Data spoke at once. They glanced at one another then Wesley stifled a laugh, while Data simply looked confused.

Commander Riker and Captain Picard grinned at the bridge crew's antics, and the tense atmosphere evaporated.

"Captain, I suggest that we send a probe into the system to determine these aliens' reactions. We do not know if they will perceive our presence as a threat," Worf said. He gripped the rail in front of his station and leaned over emphatically.

"Counselor?" Riker nodded in Deanna's direction, "your thoughts?"

Deanna paused, crossed one leg over the other, placed her hands on her knee, and leaned forward, exposing her cleavage thoughtfully, "we can assume that with humans and so many other species coexisting on one planet and with such high technology that they would not find our arrival shocking on a cultural level. It suggests an open, intelligent, and peaceful society."

"Still, the Enterprise itself may provoke unforeseen reactions. We know nothing of their political organization; we are alone here," Worf argued.

Commander Riker craned his neck back and raised an eyebrow in mock surprise at his tactical officer and head of security, "I never thought I'd see the day you came out in opposition to 'gun boat' diplomacy Mr. Worf." The Commander's little joke elicited some polite laughter from around the bridge.

Worf ground his teeth, "A cunning warrior will always--"

The rest of Worf's retort was lost when a hammer headed, bulky looking vessel at least the size of the Enterprise rushed almost straight at them at an incredible velocity. Before anyone could react, it braked just as suddenly; the ship continued to lumber toward the Enterprise over the horizon of the desert planet at sub-light speed.

"Where the hell did they come from?" Riker barked, "why didn't they set off the long range sensors or the proximity alarm?"

The red and white spaceship sped closer, growing in the foreground of the Enterprise main view screen.

Data opened his mouth to reply, but just as quickly as before, a huge wedge-shaped vessel arrived in the same manner as the smaller ship. This gigantic craft sported an upright conning tower flanked by twin globes jutting out of the aft dorsal section, and a huge hangar bay located on the underbelly. It arrived and opened fire on the smaller vessel, spitting green bolts of energy from all over the forward arc of its superstructure.

"Yellow alert, shields up!" Riker bellowed.

Captain Picard levered himself out of his chair in a fugue of awe, his eyes riveted to the screen.

"The second approaching vessel is more than sixteen hundred meters long, and twelve times our mass. Their energy output is more than ten times that of our warp core reactor. Life signs, approximately thirty-seven thousand, all human," Data recited calmly.

"Tactical analysis Mr. Worf," Picard's voice was a harsh whisper.

The alien behemoth came on inexorably, blasting away at the smaller vessel and shrugging off the few red bolts sent in return. The red blasts exploded in violent bursts of energy just short of the battewagon's hull, but the green bolts slammed into the smaller ship. Each shot hammered through the shields faster than they could recharge and left ugly scorch marks on the hull.

"Sixty independently operating energy weapon emplacements firing a high energy plasma bolt, sixty other energy weapons of an unknown type, ten tractor beam emitters arranged around their main hangar, primary and independent bridge shields, their hull is made of an unknown alloy, but scans indicate it is several times stronger than our duranium hull." Worf glanced up from his readouts with a look of shock on his face, "power output of their main energy weapons--estimated at 10 isotons per shot, I could be mistaken they are emitting massive ECM jamming."

The gargantuan vessel came on steadily to fill the main viewer; its prey was only a small sliver in the foreground.

"She's a monster," Picard whispered.

"Ten?" Commander Riker looked alarmed, "Our shields won't last long under that kind of bombardment."

"Let us all hope it does not come to that number one, Mr. Data open hailing frequencies--"

Worf's touch screen lit up accompanied by an electronic chime, "Captain, we are being hailed," he glanced up at Captain Picard and added, "by the leading vessel, audio only."

Picard nodded curtly.

"Unknown vessel, this is Captain Antilles of the Tantive IV. We are a consular ship carrying representatives of the Republic on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan. We request your help. We are under attack by the Imperial sta--"

A rapid fusillade of green bolts struck the Tantive IV amidships erupting in a massive fireball, and the static filled transmission cut off.

"Captain, the Tantive IV's shields have collapsed. They are losing power." Data tapped out a few commands as he spoke.

Captain Picard stood up and strode into the center of the bridge dramatically, "Captain Antilles, this is Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise--"

Data glanced up at his commanding officer, "transmission jammed Captain."

Picard stepped between Data and Wesley; the veins in his shiny bald head were already bulging in anger. _Who are these 'Imperials'? Wantonly assaulting a diplomatic vessel one tenth their size, Mon Dieu! I can only imagine Captain Antilles' desperation._

"Helm, bring us to heading one-two-five-mark four, nose to nose with the 'Imperial' vessel, open a hailing frequency."

"Captain we may be interfering in a situation we know nothing about--"

"I know Number One, but we have no time to discuss this now, you'll have to trust me," he turned back to Wesley, "Ensign, do it."

Wesley glanced into his Captain's eyes then bent back to his task, "Aye sir."

_There is no fear in his voice. My God was I ever that young? _For an instant Picard went back to that terrible battle all those years ago aboard the Stargazer, her bridge shattered, her Captain slain.

A short high pitched tone, "Channel open Captain," Data said.

"Imperial vessel, this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise. We ask that you cease your attack upon the Tantive IV, and open a dialog with them. We offer to serve as intermediaries, in the interest of preserving innocent life. We mean you no harm. Does this sound like a reasonable course of action to you?"

An awful silence descended and everyone watched the massive battlewagon loom larger and larger on the main view screen, waiting, hoping for a reply.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lt. Hija, have you heard of this ridiculous man of or the 'Federation'?" Captain Praji of the Imperial Stardestroyer Devastator glanced down at his subordinate standing on one of the recessed crew stations or 'pits' set in an arc around the 'runway,' a nickname for the platform senior officers used to keep an eye on the functioning of their bridge. They both wore the standard grey uniform of the Imperial navy with peaked caps and spit polished black boots. Black clad, scuttle helmed chiefs and a few droids rounded out the bridge crew.

The Deck officer shook his head, "'fraid not sir, but from the look of that pretty little ship it's probably a pleasure yacht. Look at the sleek bow and all the windows! My guess is: Somebody with more money than sense from the corporate sector; that is, unless he's referring to the _Trade_ Federation."

"Is that supposed to funny Lieutenant? Because if it is--I'm not laughing." Captain Praji enjoyed the young officer's chagrin, and then snorted, "Anyway, that's no damned Nemoidian, if anything his accent sounds like an inner core man, from the academy."

Hija nodded thoughtfully.

Captain Praji moved closer to the window and stared hard at the little vessel, his hands clasped behind his back. The ship reminded him of a sleek, deft seabird as it glided right up in front of his Stardestroyer with unnatural grace and precision for a ship that size. "It's strange though, she's not using Ion drives, so how does she maneuver so gracefully, and I don't see any turbolaser batteries, do you?"

Lt. Hija chuckled, "They must be out of their minds to interfere with a Stardestroyer. Shall I inform Lord Vader?"

Captain Praji's face jerked. "No!" he blurted, and then regained his composure. "No, of course not, Lord Vader is boarding this ship personally in search of rebel spies. Tractor the Rebel ship into the main hangar; launch two flights of TIE's to warn the Enterprise off. Tell the flight commander to escort them out of the system, if they resist, destroy them." With that, he left to confer with the Stormtrooper commander waiting at the back of the bridge.

"Yes Captain," Lt. Hija bent over the communications station.

"Starship Enterprise, this is the Imperial Stardestroyer 'Devastator,' remove your vessel from this system immediately or we will open fire," Lt. Hija switched off the channel and let out a heavy exhale. He turned back to the task of tractoring the Rebel ship without even waiting for a reply.

On the Enterprise bridge Captain Picard arched an eyebrow in surprise then turned to his command crew, "Counselor Troi?"

The voluptuous woman paused for a beat before speaking; she leaned forward, hands on knees, and then spoke carefully, "I sense an incredible amount of self assurance on that vessel, coupled with a sense of power that is justified by itself. They are a rigid military hierarchy, but behind the arrogance is a cloud of fear and dread. The officer we spoke to regards us as a potentially annoying interruption; like a fly buzzing in his face."

Commander Riker sat up straight, "arrogant people. A Galaxy Class starship is a fly to them?"

Captain Picard grunted thoughtfully, "A ship that size may indeed regard us as only an aggravation," he raised a palm to his first officer who opened his mouth to protest, "but first impressions can be deceiving Number One. Do you have any--"

"Captain the Imperial vessel is launching multiple small craft;" Data interrupted suddenly, "they are on an intercept course."

"Onscreen," Picard said, "magnify."

Two dozen tiny gunmetal gray dots emerged from the Devastator's belly and swarmed towards the Enterprise. They jumped out upon magnification, a simple spherical cockpit, two forward weapons emplacements, twin ion engines, and a pair of vertical panels attached to the hull by short wing struts.

"The Devastator will have the Tantive IV drawn into it's hangar bay in approximately 1.23 minutes," Data glanced up from his panel.

Captain Picard gritted his teeth, spun about, sat down in his command chair and yanked the front of his tunic down to straighten it.

"Open a channel to the Tantive IV Mr. Data, use our main deflector to burn through their jamming if you must. Ensign, prepare to close with them and extend our shields around their vessel."

"Aye Captain," Wesley said. The comm system chimed "channel open," Data replied.

"Captain Antilles, this is Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise--"

"Enterprise!" Came the frantic voice of a young woman, "This is Ambassador Leia Organa, please help us. We cannot fall into Imperial hands, the fate of the Republic is at stake and--"

The transmission broke up and, as if on cue, escape pods from the blockade runner began to spew forth and fall toward the planet below. Immediately, green turbolasers spat from the Devastator, vaporizing them one by one. Deanna cried out at the sight and hid her face in her hands.

"They are without honor!" Worf shouted.

"Picard to transporter room! O'Brien, lock on to the escape pods and beam those people aboard now! Data feed him telemetry."

The android officer simply nodded in response.

"Aye sir, I'm on it," the transporter chief replied in a lilting Irish accent. It was a race between O'Brien's skill with the transporter and the aim of the imperial gunners. Sometimes he was successful and sometimes he was not.

"Ambassador Organa, prepare to be transported to safety, we will bring your crew over to our vessel," Picard called.

"What? How–"

Captain Picard grinned, "Oh, Don't worry about that--" he paused to search his diplomatic experience for the correct phrase, "--Your Highness. This should only take a few minutes," He turned to Data, "how long will it take to bring the whole crew here?"

Data's fingers flew madly, "I estimate four minutes Captain."

"Not good enough use the cargo transporters, shuttle transporters, anything! Make it so!" Picard barked.

"We're taking an awful risk sitting right in front of their guns." Riker stood right at his Captain's elbow now.

"I know Number One, but we have got to give them more time!"

One of the Imperial officers swallowed heavily at what he saw on his screen.

"Excuse me, sir?" He leaned around his station and called out to the Captain.

"Yes, what is it ensign?" Captain Praji waved the stormtrooper commander away and stalked to the sensor station.

"The, uh, Enterprise has projected some sort of energy field around the Rebel ship. It has cut off our scans and prevented us from using our docking clamps."

"What?" Praji straightened, his face purpling with rage, "call the flight commander, all TIE's engage! Double power to the tractor beams, now!"

The Enterprise shook suddenly, then lurched forward. The bridge lights flickered briefly then came on again.

"What was that?" Riker asked. He clamped a hand on the back of Ensign Crusher's chair to remain upright.

"Commander, the Imperial ship has doubled the power of their tractor beams. We are being pulled in as well," Data stated. "Inertial dampers holding," he added.

"Their fighters are attacking!" Worf cried.

The vertical winged fighters came in groups of three, strafing the saucer section with rapid bursts of green energy.

"Devastator, this is Delta leader. I confirm, we have a 'go'. Delta group form on me, we have clearance to attack."

"Delta leader, this is Devastator, affirmative. Weapons free, good hunting."

"Gamma group, move around their aft quarter and hit those dorsal projections, I'm going in!" The Delta flight commander cried with undisguised glee. _I love this part!_

"Copy Delta leader, breaking off," Gamma leader replied.

Delta leader dove in on the Enterprise from above and loosed a barrage of turbo laser fire all along the saucer section.

"What the–? All craft pull up! It's a trap! Ahhh!"

Delta leader and his companions cried out in shock when their fire splattered across the Dorsal shields of the Enterprise several hundred meters from the hull itself, exactly where they had planned to pull out of his attack run. Three TIE fighters slammed into the bubble shields of the Federation flagship and bloomed in bright orange spheres of flaming gases and debris."By the Emperor!" Gamma leader cried, "All craft form on me to continue the attack. Devastator, we've lost Delta six, three, and two."

"Shields holding sir," Worf called.

"A suicide run?" Riker collapsed back in his seat in disbelief.

Data cocked his head like a bird inspecting a strange new object, "Commander, I believe the Imperial pilots did not expect to encounter our shields in their present position, and thus they did not intend to ram us at all. I can only surmise that their own vessels shielding acts as a sort of second skin or--"

"Later Mr. Data, options?" Picard glanced around the bridge. The Enterprise shook again as the enemy fighters savaged her port quarter on another pass.

"Captain," Worf looked up with an excited grin spreading across his face, "these fighters are _not_ shielded."

"Are they not? Very good Mr. Worf, transport all the pilots into the brig, open a channel to the Devastator, then tractor a few of them into the main shuttle bay for study."

"Aye sir," Worf said, his toothy smile widened even further. He stood straight and tall and seemed about to burst with Klingon pride. _It is an honor to fight alongside such a cunning warrior_.

"Gamma six, we have them in our tractor beam now, you only need to keep them from escaping. We are scrambling TIE bomber support as we speak," Lt. Hija said hunched over the communications station on the Devastator's bridge.

"No problem sir, no return fire, no weaponry at all yet. Let's just hope they don't have any other dirty tri--" Gamma leader stopped transmitting in mid-sentence.

"What was that?" Lt. Hija asked.

"Life signs from Gamma leader have ceased!"

"What, how?" Captain Praji fought to keep his stride under control and walk down the runway towards the sensor station, "report Lieutenant!" he barked, eyes flashing.

"Look!" Someone shouted. Heads craned around just in time to see the TIE's go out of control one by one. The pilots began to call out to their missing wingmates in a panic just before their life signs ended and their own ships lost control. Most spun off into space, although a pair crashed into one another, exploding in a fiery burst, while another clipped the strange oval shield and spun away missing a wing and arcing with blue white electricity discharges.

"Sir, _they_ are towing some of _our_ TIE's into _their _main hangar!"

Captain Praji's face seemed to harden even further, "bastards! All forward guns fire! I want that ship annihilated!"

"Channel open Captain," Worf announced proudly.

:"Devastator, this is Captain Jean-Luc Pic--"

The Enterprise shook violently under the heavy guns of the Stardestroyer at point blank range.

"Forward shields buckling, Dorsal shields also collapsing!" Worf hung onto the rail in front of his crew station as the deck shuddered under his feet.

"Ensign, take us underneath their belly; get us right behind the Tantive IV!" Riker shouted.

"Excellent idea commander, there is an 85.6 chance that they will not damage a ship that they are trying to capture. Given the relatively low power output of their sensor arrays and their general lack of sophistication in that area, we should be able to block their sensor scans long enough to rescue the Republic crew," Data stated the obvious, again.

Blast after blast rained down and damage reports began to come in from around the ship.

"Hull breaches in decks 34 and 37; emergency force fields holding!" Data shouted to be heard over the din.

"Mr. Worf, lock phasers and photon torpedoes, target those weapon emplacements," Picard bellowed.

Bright red phaser beams erupted from the 'saucer section' and struck one of the turbolaser batteries in rapid succession. The turret armor flashed for a split second as the phased particle beam cut through the shielding like it wasn't there and struck the hull. The armor plating glowed angrily and began to dissolve, but the phaser alone did little more than leave an ugly scorch mark on the Devastator's hull.

"The Devastators shields have collapsed in that section only, minimal damage," Worf growled.

"Worf, fire a spread of photon torpedoes through that hole!" Riker fed targeting data from his terminal.

"Aye commander. Torpedoes firing."

A succession of angry red orbs spat from the Enterprise as she dove below the Devastators plane of maneuver, green turbolasers slicing through space all around her. The torpedoes impacted in a tight cluster on the starboard side on the Devastator's leading edge, exploding in a flash.

Worf uttered a foul Klingon curse and slammed his fist against the railing, "Direct hit captain, one enemy weapon destroyed, minor structural damage."

"That was enough fire power to shred a Romulan war bird!" Riker cried. _The full spread only penetrated three meters of their hull plating_! _If we hadn't hit the turret, we wouldn't have done more than scratch their paint job._ Commander Riker gaped at the damage estimate readout on the arm of his command chair.

"Shields at thirty-one percent, they will not sustain another volley," Data said calmly.

"We must hold position until transport is complete! Engineering!"

"Laforge here," The superlative chief engineer never sounded flustered no matter the situation.

"Geordi, we need auxiliary power to shields, give us all you have. Take it from life support if you have to!"

"Aye, Captain, we'll do our best!"

The unexpected resistance by another Rebel ship set the bridge of the Devastator abuzz with renewed excitement. The prospect of adding yet another silhouette to their already well decorated bow tantalized the command crew. The hubbub died out for a moment when turbolaser battery number twenty nine exploded in a ball of superheated gas with the loss of all hands. Captain Praji watched the Enterprise slide below his vessel, firing those bizarre red beams and spitting those miniature projectiles. They should have barely scratched his shielding, but somehow they cut right through, allowing even those inferior weapons to damage his ship.

"Lieutenant, what happened?" Praji demanded.

"I am not sure sir. Those energy beams and 'torpedoes' are ridiculously underpowered, but somehow they cut through our shielding like it wasn't there!"

_It seems I have an opponent far more dangerous that I originally thought. No matter, I'll show this 'Jhonnluke Pikard' what happens to those who defy the Emperor's finest!_

"The rebels have brought some sort of secret weapon with them," Praji announced to the bridge crew, "I say, let them play their petty tricks; they will avail them nothing against the Devastator!"

The Captain saw several head bob up and down in agreement, and Lt. Hija smiled with renewed confidence.

"Don't worry sir, we shall make them pay!"

A general cheer rose up from the pits amid whoops and applause.

Captain Praji turned to watch the strange luxury liner take on the firepower of the Devastator with mixed amusement and awe. The Enterprise bobbed and wove under the Stardestroyer, trying desperately to avoid the rain of death coming down on them. They were so close to the hull that only those turbolasers on the forward ventral arc had decent firing solutions, and even those had to be careful not to hit the Tantive IV, which the Enterprise pilot was deftly using as a shield. It was as if the pilot had been trained to hide behind an object, peek out and fire an aimed shot, then duck back just as his opponent loosed a fusillade of return fire. _Not a very original strategy..._

"Lieutenant, it's been nearly a minute. How is their energy shield holding up?" The Imperial Captain sighed.

"Not well sir, our scans show it at less than half its original strength and decreasing. We will have them shortly."

"Excellent. I wonder what they did to disable our TIE's like that. It was rather _odd._"

Lt. Hija smirked to himself. He knew by his Captain's pronunciation that he felt it was anything _but _'odd.'

"Yes, we did detect a minor fluctuation in their shielding and a strange power signature from our TIE's at the same time. Perhaps their shield is also a weapon. It may emit some sort of radiation fatal to pilots in unshielded craft."

Captain Praji grunted, "now _that_, Lieutenant, is not something I would not put past the rebels. Too bad they will be so much space debris in a moment." Praji clenched his fists and stared with a grim smile as turbolaser bolts rained on the diminutive Enterprise.

Another officer approached and actually touched the Imperial Captain on the shoulder. Praji spun about.

The approaching Ensign braced before his superior, "Sir, Lord Vader wants to know why we have not used the locking clamps on the Rebel vessel."

Praji's mouth fell open, and a hand unconsciously drew towards his throat, "Lieutenant, get me Lord Vader on the holo-communicator."

His subordinate paused warily, "Sir, Lord Vader sends that he is coming to the bridge personally."

Captain Praji had never heard, before that moment, a quieter bridge crew during an engagement.


	3. Chapter 3

Explosions shook the Tantive IV. Her superstructure spouted flames and shattered hull plating where she had been struck. Two of her mechanical passengers, C-3PO, a tall human like machine, and R2D2 a stubby tripodal robot, staggered or slid along an access corridor in time to the explosions.

Artoo Detoo had the better of it with his squat construction and his cylindrical body's low center of gravity. The small blue and silver astromech droid glanced up at See Threepio who steadied himself against the bulkhead. His single cyclopean eye fixed on See Threepio's battered and scuffed metal casing; he emitted a series of urgent, high-pitched squeaks and whistles. To untrained human ears it would be unintelligible, but See Threepio understood the mechanical language easily.

"Yes, yes, I heard that a moment ago. They've shut down the main reactor," he waved a golden arm at his companion and began ambling stiffly down the corridor once again. "This is madness. This time, we'll be destroyed for sure," the golden droid shook his head slowly.

Artoo tilted his barrel shaped torso backwards and with his magnetic feet gripping the deck, the meter high robot assumed the approximate posture of a human studying the ceiling thoughtfully. He issued a series of short beeps and chirps.

"That _is_ strange Artoo, we've lost power, but there is still firing? I don't detect any more hits, so who is shooting, and at whom?"

Artoo Detoo righted himself, turned around, and sped down the corridor bleeping madly. See Threepio glanced around in alarm, "Artoo! What do you mean, 'energy surges'? I don't detect any--"

A small band of Republic guards appeared, rifles at the ready. They wore neutral colored tunics and dark vests, along with white coal scuttle helmets and the grim expressions of men prepared to die.

See Threepio watched the Guardsmen take up defensive positions facing a nearby airlock. Then, suddenly, one after another the guards began to vanish into thin air, consumed by strange sparkling blue columns of light. The first few vanished without knowing what hit them. The others began to shout in panic and tried to flee. The last few actually dissipated in mid-stride while they fell pell-mell down the access corridor in a futile effort to escape this impossible turn of events.

"By the maker!" See Threepio exclaimed. He glanced around and found himself in an empty corridor. The faint echo of Artoo Detoo's excited bleeping reached his listening modules and he hurried off as fast as he could, "Wait Artoo, wait for me!"

See Threepio followed the noise down the twisting and quiet corridors. Occasionally, he caught sight of a human crew member or passenger dashing this way or that. Then, the strange high pitched hum would sound and another blue-white energy field would engulf them. The protocol droid was programmed to mimic human behaviors very extensively in order to better interact fulfill his programming instructions as a facilitator of human cyborg relations. None of his human behavioral imitation programming helped to him deal with unexplained mass disintegrations and bizarre energy fields. See Threepio stood stock still for three point eight five seconds, an eternity in droid terms, completely baffled as to his next course of action.

He turned his golden photoreceptors down a dim maintenance passage. A strange diaphanous figure leaned over Artoo and ran a light feminine hand over his domed head. See Threepio imitated the human gesture of a 'double take' and tried to calculate the probability that what he was seeing was real or an electronic hallucination emerging from over stressed logic circuits. He started forward through a cloud of semi-opaque waste gasses and found Artoo squealing excitedly and wheeling back and forth in confusion. The strange woman was gone.

"Artoo Deetoo what are you doing, don't you realize humans are disappearing all over the ship?" See Threepio leaned over the little droid and scolded him.

Artoo honked indignantly and swung around to face his counterpart.

"Mission, what mission?" Artoo Detoo you sound like you have a loose circuit in your logic terminal and--" Threepio paused; Artoo ignored him, moved off down the corridor and interfaced with the access hatch to one of the Tantive IV escape pods.

"Artoo," Threepio leaned into the low entryway of the pod, "that's restricted, you're not supposed to be in there."

The door slid open. Artoo beeped happily and wedged himself in front of the control panel, then he rotated his head around to face Threepio and hooted angrily.

"Don't you call me a mindless philosopher you overweight glob of grease!" Threepio straightened outside hatchway, "and I am not getting in there!" Threepio declared.

Artoo emitted a low mournful whistle followed by a sarcastic sounding honk.

"What do you mean, 'there's nobody left'?" Threepio turned and looked down the access corridor as far as he could, then pushed his audio sensors to their maximum sensitivity. The only sounds in the dim hallways of the Tantive IV were the sharp staccato sounds of shorting circuitry and the dull groan of her superstructure in the iron grip of the imperial tractor beams. _The little automated thermocapsulary dehousing assister may be right!_

"On second thought Artoo, you may just need me on this mission of yours. Now, move over!" The gold plated protocol droid scrambled aboard the escape pod.

Artoo closed the airlock doors and pressed the activating stud. The explosive bolts detonated, the pod shook one more time, then fell away from the crippled vessel and followed it's twisted path down to the surface of Tatooine.

Threepio and Artoo turned to watch through the viewing plate in the escape pod door.

"Artoo, look at that. Another ship, and it has engaged the Imperials!"

The battling capital ships shrank rapidly until they were only a couple of metallic specks against the night sky lit by crisscrossing red and green energy bolts.

Artoo Detoo added only a low whistle in reply to See Threepio's observation.

"We need everything and we need it now!" Chief Engineer Laforge shouted. He pored over his readout panels, his frustration mounted every second. Laforge turned and scanned the gigantic blue-white glowing cylinder that formed the better part of the Enterprise' matter/anti-matter reactor. He could do this because, despite being born blind, Laforge had been fitted at a young age with a multi optic 'visor' that allowed him to see outside the visible spectrum, detect energy fields, radiation and to examine objects at a microscopic level by sight alone. For all of his gifts though, the Enterprise chief engineer was deprived of normal sight, and could not appreciate subtle differences in color and light. He could not enjoy the slow fading light of an evening sunset, or catch a gleam in the eye of a beautiful woman. "Gomez, how's it coming?"

"I'm on it chief," Ensign Sonya Gomez, pulled open an engineering access panel and began rooting through isolinear chips with a tricorder, "I'm pulling the primary power systems governor chip."

"Good work Gomez," Geordi smiled and turned back to his crew station. That would give him complete control over power allocation, overriding most of the safety protocols. He would not be able to change the power settings enough to shut off life support or endanger the anti-matter containment field, but things would get a little cool and dark pretty quickly.

He tapped his comm badge, "Laforge to bridge!"

"Picard here," came the clipped reply.

"This is all we have captain, I hope it's enough," Geordi smiled grimly.

"As do I Geordi. Excellent work, Picard out."

Ensign Gomez slid out from under the main engineering station and scrambled back upright with a grunt.

"Pretty exciting first mission huh?" She asked, he voice wavering.

The Enterprise bucked and pitched under the rain of turbolaser bolts. The lights flickered and dimmed down to nothing but blood red emergency illumination.

Geordi put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Steady as she goes Ensign, have faith in Captain Picard. We've been in far worse scrapes than this, and he always got us out in one piece. He didn't even get mad when you spilled coffee on him this morning!

Sonya let out a strained laugh, and Geordi embraced her around the shoulders with one arm and gave her a friendly shake, "My guess is that these 'Imperial' clowns won't even know what hit them!"


	4. Chapter 4

The dusty streets of Anchorhead lay quiet and deserted in the blazing midday heat of Tatooine's binary suns.

An old woman began to cross the street from one cluster of bleached buildings to another.

Suddenly, a landspeeder appeared out of the waves of heat shimmering along the ground. It flew past, narrowly missing her, and careened down the street, all three engines whining in protest.

"Won't you kids ever learn to slow down!" The old woman shouted hoarsely and shook her fist at the retreating hover vehicle.

The driver, a youth from a local moisture farm named Luke Skywalker, gave no indication that he heard the woman, but pulled his dull beige landspeeder to a sliding halt outside a long, low concrete way station.

Luke leaped out of his vehicle and slammed the front door open spilling light into the dim interior of Tosche station.

"Hey!" Luke called out to get his friend's attention. A rugged young man slumped behind the station's control desk with a pretty young girl curled in his lap. Both groaned and blinked in the sunlight; the girl, Camie, covered her eyes and tried to bury her face in the mechanic's shoulder.

"Hey everybody!" Luke yelled again, trying to get some response from his friends. He ran past the desk, piled high with spare parts and junk, and into the instrument room at the rear of the station.

Fixer ran a hand over his stubbled face and grumbled darkly.

"Oh," Camie yawned, "that was just Wormie on another of his rampages," she stretched sensuously.

"Shape it up you guys!" Luke charged into the back room in search of two of his friends, Deak and Windy. The commotion reached a crescendo almost immediately.

"Biggs!" Luke shouted.

There was his old friend, back from the academy, in an officer's uniform, and wearing a big grin. Luke suddenly remembered why he had been so excited in the first place.

At first, none of his friends would believe him, but he waved his macro-binoculars like a madman and with a combination of cajoling shoving and pleading he got his friends out into the morning sun and searched the heavens with them for signs of interplanetary combat.

At first, Luke whooped triumphantly then passed the binoculars to Biggs, but once he saw the somber look on his old friends face, he knew something was wrong.

"Biggs, what's wrong?"

The debonair, arrogant old Biggs looked a little ill as he handed the binoculars to the now very excited patrons of Tosche station.

"Luke, come inside with me for a minute will you? I have some things to say that you will want to hear." Biggs sighed and shook his head.

Luke stared at his old friend. _I guess he really has changed._

They went back inside and made themselves a couple of drinks while Camie, Fixer, Deak and Windy argued over the Binoculars and gave a running commentary on the battle like it was a Bunta eve pod race.

"What is it Biggs? What's got you so spooked?"

Biggs smiled thinly and wagged a finger up at the ceiling meaningfully, "I wasn't gonna bring this up until just yet Luke, but the situation just changed."

Luke felt like laughing at Biggs' strange behavior, it was like he was a rebel and those were his comrades fighting up in orbit. Once he looked into the older man's eyes he paused and took a swig of his drink.

Biggs nodded to himself then leaned over the table and began to speak rapidly and quietly in Luke's ear.

Lord Vader strode onto the bridge of the Devastator flanked by two Imperial Stormtroopers. Their bone white battle armor contrasted sharply with the Sith Lord's jet black biomechanical suit, midnight robes, and sloped helmet. The powerfully built dark lord strode across the deck and forced the Stormtroopers, both nearly two meters tall themselves, to hurry in order to keep up with him. Despite hurrying through many decks of the massive ship, Lord Vader's mechanical breathing remained at a steady mechanical pace. It's low menacing wheezing echoed through the halls warning lower-ranking officers and crew scurried to get out of his way.

Captain Praji fell into step with Lord Vader before the massive blast doors finished closing.

"Give me your report Captain," Vader rumbled. He led Praji down the runway to the forward most observation post, and ignored the furtive glances of the other officers.

"Lord Vader, this vessel, the Enterprise, interfered with our operation to seize the rebel blockade runner. We gave them a warning and launched TIE's to escort them out of the area. Then--" Captain Praji paused and swallowed heavily.

"Go on," Vader said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"–Then they generated some sort of energy shielding around the corvette to cut off our sensor scans and simultaneously disabled twelve of our fighters by somehow killing the pilots," Praji stood rigidly and ran a gloved finger around the inside of his collar. "But we have caught both ships in our tractor beam now and the Enterprise shields will be down in moments. We can then use our docking clamps to secure the blockade runner at our leisure." He indicated a graphic that represented the Rebel's estimated shield output structural integrity and weapon emplacements, then fell silent, awaiting Lord Vader's reply.

The Sith Lord turned and moved closer to the window. Even through his grotesque breath mask, the officers could sense the intense and unnatural stare, as if there was a hum or ripple in the air about him. They edged back from this threatening miasma.

When Lord Vader did not speak, Praji coughed nervously then continued, "My Lord, the failure to secure the rebel ship and the loss of our TIEs is entirely my fault, I apologize." He snapped to attention and waited rigidly for the Sith lord's judgement.

"There is--" Darth Vader paused for a pair of slow breaths, "–something..."

The gull winged craft struggled feebly in the grip of the Devastator's tractor beams and began to move slowly and inexorably towards the main hangar bay. Despite being firmly caught she continued to spit phaser beams and a steady stream of photon torpedoes at the tractor beam emitters.

Guinan stood motionless in Ten Forward watching the escape pods from the Tantive IV make their desperate plunge towards the surface of Tatooine.

"Are you having fun Q?" She glanced around the room. "I know you can hear me. Tell me, what are you up to this time?"

A beat. Q did not appear.

Guinan sighed._ How could he do this? This will change everything, whether I choose to act or not. _"All right Q, you can test the humans all you want, but now you've started messing with _my_ people. I bet you think you can manipulate me into trying to alter the course of events, and thus bring about all that I try to prevent. It's the oldest trick in the book Q, and I won't fall for it. _But I will not stand by let these people die here either._

Guinan strode to the window and glanced upwards at the massive silhouette of the Stardestroyer above them. She could feel him, his foul presence reaching out to the Enterprise like a giant hand grasping her hull.

Guinan closed her eyes and began to peel the dark tendrils back from the hull one by one.

"Transport complete," Wesley announced.

"Helm, get us out of here!" Riker cried.

Wesley tapped on his console, which emitted a contradictory buzz, "no-good sir, their tractor beam is preventing us from generating a warp field."

"Continue firing at their emitters Mr. Worf," Picard ordered grimly. His fingers dug into the faux leather armrests of his command chair. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. A small knot of the Republic officers came out of the turbo lift flanked by a pair of Federation security guards.

A tall officer in a buff jacket and polished leather knee boots stood out along with a delicate looking young girl wearing a flowing white robe. She wore her brown hair in a pair of regal looking braided buns over her ears. Picard gave them a friendly nod and waved for the security team to bring them over.

_Ah, Captain Antilles and Princess Leia I presume._

Picard motioned for counselor Troi to greet them while he handled the ongoing battle. The Betazoid counselor nodded and slipped out of her chair quickly. A wide smile broke across her face. Deanna felt a wave of peace and subdued strength flow through her when she looked at the Princess. 'We have made the right choice,' she thought.

"Auxiliary power is online sir. Shield strength has been boosted from twenty-one to thirty nine percent," Data said.

"Thank you Geordi," Riker laughed in relief, "let's hope it's enough."

"It will have to be Number One, keep us out of their sights and prepare to give them exactly what they want," Picard smiled.

Riker threw a lopsided grin at the wily Captain, "let me guess: Use the main tractor beam to shove the Tantive IV right down their throats?"

"You read me like a book Number One," Picard laughed.

"Evasive maneuver Kirk-epsilon," Riker called, "prepare the tractor beam. Re-route all weapons power to the shields."

There was a slight pause as if everyone held their breath at once.

"Engage tractor beam!"

A bright blue energy field erupted from the Enterprise saucer and pushed the Corellian Corvette upwards into the Devastator's hangar bay. The Enterprise engines flashed blue light and she lurched forward, upending the Corvette and causing it to miss the hangar bay by several degrees.

Guinan stood silently, with perspiration running down her face and soaking through her dress in spots. She stood with her legs braced and threw her hands up protectively in a vague marital arts stance.

The dark tendrils retreated for a moment, and then returned tenfold, an evil laughing presence, raging and contemptible. _You cannot hide from me, it is useless to resist._

"No!" Guinan cried out and fell as if a hammer had struck her between the eyes.

Darth Vader whirled suddenly, "Captain, fire on the Corellian ship, destroy it now!"

Captain Praji nodded to the gunnery officer, "Do it!"

A pair of turbolaser bolts struck the ship which snapped in two and then erupted into a fireball that blossomed into space engulfing the underbelly of the Devastator, collapsing the shields, melting into her armor, and damaging several of her tractor arrays. Klaxons wailed and blast doors closed all over the ventral side of the gargantuan vessel.

The Enterprise slewed off to one side, her shields dancing with nuclear fire and debris.

Vader grated out another grim command, "Captain, use the Ion cannons before they escape, before it's--"

"–too late!" Worf cried out. The viewscreen went white and the deck shuddered with the force of the explosion.

"Helm, full impulse. Take us right over them!"

"Aye sir."

The Enterprise streaked out from behind the blooming explosion and sped past the Imperial Stardestroyer at an incredible relative speed. She twisted and rolled through a hail of turbolaser bolts, joined by bright blasts from the Devastator's Ion cannon batteries.

Riker stared at the view of the looming battleship, and like many a Starfleet officer in similar situations, had a few lines of poetry rise up in his gullet unbidden. _Half a league, half a league, half a league onward! Into the valley of death rode the brave six hundred!_

The Enterprise lost ventral shields almost immediatelyand executed a perfect barrel roll as she strafed the Devastator with phaser fire from above. The Imperial bridge crew would later describe in each port and space station they visited the beautiful yet shocking sight of the smooth silver hulled Enterprise charging straight past them rolling and jinking like a starfighter.

The Devastator struggled to turn and keep her forward and dorsal guns on the Federation ship.

"Bring us about, 180 degree yaw to starboard. Don't let them get away!"Praji shouted.

A dozen Ion blasts rippled from the Devastator once she had finished her turn. One blast caught the Enterprise' port nacelle and it darkened immediately. Crackling energy discharges flowed through the superstructure and the twinkling lights shining from her many windows winked out one after another. The Enterprise began to coast, out of control.

"Mr. Data, report!" Picard shouted.

"The unknown energy weapon bypassed our shields completely Captain, we have systems failing all over the ship," he replied.

The bridge lights flickered and died around them. Suddenly the raging energy surges reached the Enterprise bridge. Panels exploded in showers of shrapnel and melted components. Wesley Crusher tumbled to the floor clutching his bloody face, while the science officer, Lt. Harris, fell back with a fist sized hole bored through his chest by superheated plasma erupting from conduits in the bridge's rear wall.

The lights failed completely and they were left in the gloom with the bridge lit only by small fires and flickering dull red emergency lights.

Picard stood up, "Picard to engineering!"

Worf slammed a fist on his unresponsive console, "all systems down, minimal life support. No engines, shields or weapons, we're dead in space Captain."


	5. Chapter 5

Counselor Troi rushed to aid ensign Crusher while Data checked on the unfortunate science officer.

The Republic party glanced around in apprehension and seemed to cluster even closer together.

"Lt. Harris is dead," Data said.

"My God, all systems out? What the hell did they hit us with?"

"Unknown Captain, it appears to be designed to disrupt the target vessels electrical and computer systems at a fundamental level."

"An Ion cannon," one of the Republican officers interjected.

Riker's face hardened, "if they had this, why didn't they use it right away?"

Picard suddenly looked older, "perhaps they were simply toying with us Number One." Without waiting for a reply he moved across the bridge and knelt by the young son of Jack Crusher, another fine officer who had died under his command long ago.

"How is he, counselor?"

"He needs to get to sickbay Captain. I used an emergency painkiller from the medical kit, but these plasma burns are serious." Troi cradled the youths head in her lap and stroked his hair gently.

Picard rubbed his brow over and over with one hand, "Picard to sickbay."

"Yes Captain," came a disembodied and haggard sounding voice.

"Dr. Pulaski, what is your situation?"

"We have multiple wounded Jean Luc, including me, but it's just a broken ankle. What's happened?"

"We have been disabled and lost almost all systems, can you manage down there?"

"We're working with hand lights and emergency kits Captain. All of my bio-beds are down, but we'll make do."

Picard grimaced, "Data–the turbolifts?"

Data shook his head, "they are inoperable without power Captain."

"Can you get Wesley to sickbay?"

Deanna looked up, her eyes bright with tears, it was a rare moment to hear Captain Picard lose his bearing and refer to a crewman by his given name in such a situation.

"It is feasible Captain, but carrying him through the jeffries tubes could easily aggravate his injuries.

Riker leaned in and whispered in the Captain's ear, while Worf attempted to wedge open a recalcitrant turbolift door.

"Good God Number One, can Geordi maintain containment?"

Will Riker's expression was grave, "he thinks so, but he needs to replace almost all of our Isolinear chips, he could use Data."

Picard sighed, "Data, get to engineering and help Geordi, we need power and we need it now!"

"Aye sir."

Princess Leia spoke up once data moved off to comply, "Captain Picard is it?"

Picard nodded, stood and straightened his tunic.

"I am Senator Leia Organa of Alderaan, and this is my protector, Captain Antilles of the Tantive IV."

The Captain strode forward and gave Picard a quick salute, "our gratitude Captain, for your help, for saving our lives. By the force if the Imperial navy had captured us--" Captain Antilles let the sentence trail off and supressed a shudder, almost.

Senator Organa stepped forward, "that is not what worries me Captain, the only thing that matters is the data. Captain Picard did you 'transport' the droids to this vessel as well?" She clutched at his arm, desperately.

Picard could not help but look surprised, "'droids'?" he asked, "do you mean androids like Commander Data?" He indicated the golden skinned being that helped force open the stuck turbolift door and clambered down to their engineering deck.

Leia's young face crinkled in confusion, "'_commander' _Data? _He_ was a droid?"

"Yes, well perhaps we mean two different things," he tapped hi comm badge, "bridge to transporter room."

There was a long pause, "O'bwien heeya, Cap'n," he sounded odd, like he was holding his nose while speaking.

"Are you all right chief?"

"Ah, one ub dese bloody beepul bloke my nobe, sir. I hab to stun 'em."

Picard blinked and glanced back at Leia.

Captain Antilles cleared his throat, "I would like to apologize for that Captain, you matter transference technology was totally unexpected and, uh somewhat shocking frankly. Some of my men panicked when they arrived and they attacked your 'transporter chief'. I am afraid he was injured and had to use his stun weapon on several of them."

The dark-skinned alien with the bony crest on his forehead spoke up, "if memory serves Captain, we transported only organic life form readings to the Enterprise, that _is_ standard procedure for emergency transport situations."

"Very good Mr. Worf," the bald Captain turned back to Princess Leia, "I am sorry Ambassador--"

"Call me Leia ah–?" She flashed the older man a brilliant smile. _My, he IS handsome, brave, and obviously sophisticated, a natural leader..._

Picard smiled broadly, "Jean Luc, Leia, it's Jean Luc. But, it appears we did not transport your droids. Our sensors most likely mistook them for part of your ship's systems and not crew members."

"But you don't understand, one of our R2 units is carrying the Death Star plans, that information is critical."

"Death Star?" Riker asked.

"An imperial terror weapon capable of destroying an entire planet," Leia noticed the look of shock and surprise on Picard and Riker's faces, "what, you don't put such a weapon past Emperor Palpatine do you?"

"Ambassador," Riker said, "you don't understand we aren't from this region of space, in fact--"

A heavy metallic scrape followed by several hollow dull booms that echoed through the Starship's hull. The noises continued for several moments, each with a corresponding vibration running through the deck plating.

"They have engaged docking clamps," Captain Antilles said, "it won't be long now."

"Boarders?" Worf perked up at the idea.

"Imperial Stormtroopers," Leia nodded grimly.

"Mr. Worf, assemble your security teams, use all means at your disposal to repel boarders, we must hold out until Geordi can effect the proper repairs."

"Aye sir," Worf grinned ferally and moved to leave the bridge, but the tall Rebel officer motioned for him to wait.

"Allow my consular guards to aid your security teams."

"If it comes to that we will welcome your aid. Mr Worf coordinate the defense with Captain Antilles."

The Klingon nodded and led the Rebel officer off the bridge.

Picard turned to Princess Leia, "Are you sure these Imperials will not respond to negotiations?"

The young ambassador scoffed, "where are you people from? Don't you realize who they are? If the Emperor's lackeys get a hold of you they will torture your crew for information and strip this ship down for information about the rebellion!"

Riker sidled up to Picard, "Sir, I think this situation just got much more complicated."

"Agreed Number One. We do not have enough information, but we cannot sit bback and let them take this ship."

"Ambassador," Picard held the girls gaze, "Leia, I am afraid we are totally unfamiliar with your area of space, our presence here is a result of mischief, and completely unforseen."

"If we can just get power restored I know we can evade them, their Stardestroyer turns like a Gorn battleship with one engine, and their gunnery control is pretty sluggish," Riker said.

"Even so, they have us in their clutches Number One." Picard rolled his eyes towards the ceiling meaningfully. The dome at the top of the bridge clearly revealed the Stardestroyer's main hanger just above their heads.

"Not necessarily Captain," Riker smiled.

"Are you planning what I think you are Commander?"

Riker nodded, "Saucer separation."


	6. Chapter 6

Picard placed a hand on his first officer's shoulder, "We will need time to affect the proper repairs," he said, "many members of Worf's security teams and the Consular guards may pay for that time with their lives."

"I understand sir," Riker snapped to attention, "Request permission to stay behind and command the holding action here in the saucer section."

"Request denied Commander, you will move to the battle bridge and oversee the evacuation of sickbay," Picards face softened and he placed a hand on the back of his command chair, "this is my duty Number One."

"I understand sir," Riker nearly choked on the words.

Princess Leia rushed forward and threw her arms around the Captain briefly, "thank you Captain," she paused, stepped back, and looked up at him, "there is still hope; that the droids will somehow find general Kenobi on the planet below and that he will return the plans to the alliance."

R2D2 and C-3PO trudged wearily along a rocky arroyo under the blazing suns of Tatooine.

"What a forsaken place this is!" Threepio exclaimed.

Artoo warbled softly in reply.

Both droids fought their way across the sand and loose rock. They left a twin trail of footprints and triangular marks left by Artoo's three wheeled feet.

"We seem to be made to suffer," Threepio moaned, "It's our lot in life."

Artoo warbled but puttered along doggedly his gears whined in protest at the sand and heat.

The mechanical duo topped another rise and came to a fork in the rough trail.

Artoo began to angle off to the right down a rocky arroyo.

"Where are you going?" Threepio asked.

Artoo warbled at him briefly.

"Well, I'm not going that way, it's much too rocky." Threepio turned to the left, "this way is much easier."

Artoo hooted at him and scooted towards the small canyon again.

"Don't get technical with me you nearsighted scrap pile," Threepio turned and kicked Artoo's metal casing, "you'll be malfunctioning in a day."

Artoo honked angrily then squealed as Threepio began to trudge off into the sand dunes.

"And don't let me catch you following me, begging for help, because you won't get it."

Artoo squealed in protest, tootled in resignation and headed off on his own humming an old maintenance ditty that calmed his logic circuits when he was busy or facing an unfamiliar situation.

Data clambered out of the access panel leading to main engineering from one of the hundreds of maintenance passageways criss-crossing the superstructure of the Enterprise.

The normally tidy engineering section was a shambles, with wounded lying in corridors, emergency lights at a minimum, and repair crews ripping apart panels by portable lights.

"Geordi!" Data called over the chaos.

"Data, over here!"

He found the chief engineer with one arm in a sling, working feverishly to store up the matter/anti-matter containment system. The battle damage had reduced it to battery backups only.

"Geordi, you have been injured, do you require medical attention?" Data asked.

"What?" Geordi glanced at his friend for a moment, "No, no. This is nothing, but you didn't come all the way down here to ask about that. What is it?"

Data followed the chief engineer around the main warp drive, holding his tool kit and helping him as they spoke.

"Captain Picard ordered me to help you restore power in the next few minutes--"

Laforge laughed grimly, "--yeah, we'll do our best."

Data took his good arm, "Geordi, I don't think you understand, we're about to be boarded."

"Oh no, are you serious?"

Data nodded, "Yes Geordi I am."

We need to replace a whole slew of power couplings, but first, I need you to help Ensign Gomez switch out the isolinear chip boards. Most of them were fried and nobody can shuffle those things like you can." He pointed to the young Ensign laboriously scanning the old chips with a tricorder. She found a bad one, shuffled through a box of replacement chips and replaced it before moving on to the next one.

"I will get right on it Geordi," Data strode over to Ensign Gomez and took over, replacing the chips with blinding speed and accuracy. His enhanced tactile senses meant that he could tell the chips apart by touch.

"Thanks Data," Lieutenant Commander Laforge turned to his engineering crew, "Listen up people, power generation has priority. We can replace burned out relays later. Johnson, double check the plasma injectors, I don't want a disaster when we fire up the reactor. Gomez, let Lt. Commander Data handle the Isolinear chips, I want you to work on the coolant system and make sure we won't have any leaks. Let's go people, I want auxiliary power back in half and hour. The sooner we get power the easier it will be to get the wounded to sickbay and we can quit working in the dark. Remember where you are folks, this is the Enterprise!"

A ragged cheer went up from main engineering in response to Laforge's impromptu speech.

'The best damned crew in Starfleet!' Geordi thought.

"Status Commander?" Lt. Hija asked the blue holographic image of a stormtrooper on the Devastator's bridge.

"We are ready to breech in four separate areas on the dorsal surface sir."

Lt. Hija looked up at Captain Praji and Lord Vader standing above his station.

"Good," Vader said, "your orders are simple Commander: Seize the vessel, destroy all resistance, find the stolen information, but bring me the passengers alive." With a swirl of his cloak the Sith Lord left the bridge; his stormtrooper escort fell into step behind him.

Captain Praji leaned in close to his subordinate, "there have been enough unforeseen events here Lieutenant, this operation had better go smoothly from now on."

Lt. Hija nodded towards the retreating form of Lord Vader, "I assure you Captain that there will be no one to stop us this time."

RT-312 leaped through the hole made by the breech team recklessly, right on the heels of the flash charge thrown in by his partner. Miraculously, it seemed to work. Rebels shouted and tried to avert their eyes, giving him the split second he needed to land in a crouch and fire off a few bursts from his EP-11 assault blaster at the cluster of shapes huddled at the end of the dim hallway.

His partner, the second trooper through the hole in the ceiling wasn't so lucky. He caught a lengthy red beam of coherent energy and fell with a groan to the carpeted deck.

"Carpet?" RT-312's mind boggled for a moment but he did not stop firing to think about it. He hammered away at the rebels as more and more of his teammates struggled to enter.

The initial breach was the most dangerous moment. They had to secure a few rooms or corridors in order to get some breathing room or each trooper would be under fire as soon as he came through.

'Move forward!' he shouted. No one outside his Squad's TACNET could hear his voice. He switched off his external speakers and he did not key the throat mike to broadcast his voice over the platoon net. All of them could hear the platoon Sergeant yammering away from breach number two to the Lieutenant preparing to begin the assault over at breech three.

To the rebels in the hallway, their bone white armored attackers moving in silent precision seemed like an inhuman, robotic horde had descended on them. But unlike some misbegotten army of cybernetic drones, these attackers could think, feel, and adapt. And they would never quit, not until the last rebel lay dead at their feet.

"The hallway is unlit, switch to infrared targeting!"

Details RT-312 hadn't noticed leaped out at him; half the rebels were wearing different uniforms from the others. Some were the standard consular guards, and the others were a mix of humans and aliens in an odd one piece jumpsuit with a shiny insignia on the left side of their chest.

"Huh, that's weird," he thought as he dropped one with a blaster bolt through the heart, "makes a good target though."


	7. Chapter 7

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt!" Whooped another of his stormtrooper squad at the kill.

Lt. Worf and his security team arrived minutes before the breech on the very top deck of the port side of the saucers section; just under where their tricorders detected the energy signatures and vibrations of the breech teams assembling to attack. Four security officers, ensigns Hayes, Gupta, Chang, and Jones, along with four crewmen apiece, made up his security detail.

A rebel officer named Blin Garfighter and his consular guards accompanied them through the clean earth tone halls of the Federation flagship. The rebels gaped at the tasteful color coordinated decorations, the graceful bay windows and ergonomic work nooks until very recently occupied by busy crewmen rap tap tapping at blinking touch screens.

Worf motioned for his team to gather round for an impromptu operations order. "First, our power supplies onboard are limited so we will not be able to isolate them using security force fields," he said strenuously, "so; we must rely on our initial strength in numbers to hold them back until power is restored. Utilize any cover you can in the hallways and use team tactics of cover and move to confuse and eliminate them as they arrive. We must strike hard and fast to destroy them, they have no honor and so will not prevail." Worf snarled and clenched his fists. "I turn the floor over to Commander Garfighter for h is briefing on these 'stormtroopers,' Commander?"

"Thank you Lt. Commander Worf. Let me emphasize that the imperial stormtrooper is and tough and relentless enemy. I had thought our cause hopeless, but now, with your help we may be able to hold on long enough to succeed. The stormtroopers wear completely environmental battle armor with significant ablative properties, internal communication, and targeting, thermal sights and so on. Their main weapon is the EP-11 assault blaster which is capable of rapid semiautomatic fire of which each bolt will easily kill the average human if hit in the torso or head. Expect them to attack in groups, unconcerned about casualties and to be ruthless on the attack. I agree with Mr. Worf, that we must hold them here to avoid them bringing in any heavy equipment, such as any E-Web blasters, or droids."

"We will set for heavy stun to counter the armor, and use cover and concealment to neutralize their rate of fire advantage. As for their heavy weapon and possibly grenades, we must hold here to prevent them setting one up and be sure to spread out and not present a cluster of targets."

Several of the consular guards glanced at one another nervously, but remained silent.

The Klingon, with his bony crested forehead and goatee drew out a razor sharp two handed blade weapon and spun it around a few times in a warm up exercise.

"Are there any questions?" his bass voice rumbled.

"How do you know exactly where the breeches will be?"

"Our tricorders are sensitive enough to detect the stormtroopers' life signs clustered above the outer hull here, here, here and here," Ensign Gupta showed the readout on his handheld device to a cluster of admiring guardsmen.

"Thank you ensign, but that is enough. If any of you would like to peruse the tricorder, it will be available after the battle, anyone else?"

"Ah, yes," one of the guardsmen spoke up, "I suggest that we split up and send some troops down these other hallways and maybe a couple in these rooms in order to catch the stormtroopers in a crossfire. Also, since our blaster carbines have a higher rate of fire, but shorter range, I suggest that we form the initial vanguard to meet the stormtroopers," he paused, "they'll be expecting us anyway."

More than a few guardsmen nodded solemnly.

"And excellent suggestion commander, I will position one of my squads with your guards, with one in reserve and two others will take up flanking positions," Worf suggested.

"We are at your command Mr. Worf; this is, after all, your vessel."

Worf smiled, "Good, thank you commander. Ensigns Gupta and Chang send your men down there and there, the rest of you follow me."

RT-312 ducked under a fusillade of blaster fire and rolled into a combat crouch in a convenient doorway. He scanned the hallway again and fired at waist level to suppress the defenders, not aiming at anyone specific. A blast hit the wall next to his head showering fragments against his helmet.

'Whoa that was close!' he thought, then glanced at the door, 'damn door, wish it would open so I could get some better cover!'

The door opened with an electronic hum and a whoosh of air, leaving him exposed.

"Hey, wait a minute--"

Rt-312 spun and shredded the interior of the room with his blaster. He loosed a half dozen blasts then peered inside to assess the damage.

Ensign Gupta leaned around the corner and poured phaser energy into the hapless stormtrooper.

RT-312's last coherent thought was to wonder if he was dead or not before he crumpled to the floor amid the shouts and crisscrossing blasts from the boarding action.

"Got him!" Gupta shouted in excitement then leaned around the open door to snap off an aimed shot at another of his white clad foes.

Though he turned sideways to present the smallest possible target possible to the stormtroopers, one of them swept the doorway with a hail of blaster bolts punching a dinner plate sized hole in Gupta's side. He toppled with a shocked expression and lay over the trooper in the doorway, staring at nothing.

Three stormtroopers charged at the rest of Guptas' squad, crouched in the dim crew quarters behind overturned furniture.

"Bastards!" Crewman Blake screamed and fired at a stormtrooper who ducked the shot and fired back, searing off his leg.

Crewman Hayes dialed her phaser up to maximum and fired twice. Two stormtroopers jerked like marionettes with their strings cut then vanished in a red haze of disintegrating flesh and crumbling bones.

"Eat this, Nerf Fuckers!" The last Stormtrooper tossed a silver sphere into the room and ducked back out just as the explosion tore the Rebels to shreds. "Yeah baby!"

More and more shock troops poured out of the breech, forcing the rebels and federation security guards back. Men fell more and more quickly, clutching shattered limbs, ruined faces, and fatal blaster wounds.

"We have to fall back!" Commander Blin shouted, he grabbed Worf by the arm; "there're too many of them!"

The Klingon growled angrily and fired another blast from his phaser pistol more out of defiance than at any specific target, "Go! I will cover you."

Worf hefted his bat'leth and charged. A pair of shocked stormtroopers froze and with a mighty leap he was over the crouching troopers and among another squad moving up in support.

With a howl, he brought the razor sharp two-handed weapon arcing down into the neck of the first hapless trooper within reach. This one, like all the others, went down silently spurting blood from severed arteries and rent flesh.

"Look out!" the troopers' warning shout echoed electronically and amplified above the chaos.

Worf body blocked his anonymous foe and bowled him over backwards into his fellows. The massive Klingon swung the bat'leth in a wide arc and swiveled his hips; the blade struck another of his armored enemies in the head, shattering his helmet and biting into the soft flesh beneath. His crazed attack drove the normally stoic stormtroopers back in confusion. A lucky shot from a retreating stormtrooper hit Worf in the hip, spun him around and threw him to the floor.

The fire from the consular guards and their erstwhile federation allies picked up after the 'one man' assault.

The stormtroopers stubbornly closed ranks and held their ground. Casualties on both sides began to literally pile up in the halls and rooms of the federation flagship.

Worf fought his way back to one knee, with a bucking imperial blaster rifle in one hand and his bat'leth in the other. His bony crested, sharp toothed, wild haired visage reflected his inner ferocity and Klingon bloodlust. He rose up like a holy terror and savaged the stormtroopers holding at the end of the hall near the initial breech.

The shooting rapidly dwindled and died out, leaving Worf panting, drenched in perspiration, and bloodied, standing alone in the hall. The stormtroopers backed off, and the remaining guardsmen and security officers broke and ran.

The reason for the immediate cessation of hostilities stood before him in inky black cybernetic armor with a matching swept back helm and billowing midnight cape. The massive figure strode forward a pall of evil and cruelty swirled around him. He pulled a small cylindrical device from his belt and pressed a small stud on the handle. Instantly, a meter long, blood red energy blade extended from the handle with aloud electrical snap and a low menacing hum of power.

"Today _is_ a good day to die," Worf murmured softly.


	8. Chapter 8

The imposing blackguard strode directly to him and assumed a fighting stance, energy sword at the ready.

"I am Worf, son of Mog. Who are you?"

A pair of low hissing breaths then, nothing.

"You," Worf began, "you lead these stormtroopers here. You fired on escape pods, you have no honor."

The dark warrior brought his energy blade up with a snarl and swung in a wide arc aiming at Worf's neck.

The Klingon stepped back out of the way and let the hissing weapon pass by. He brought his blaster to bear and fired once aiming for the blinking lights on his foes chest.

The red blade flashed faster then the eye could follow and the energy bolt reflected off to one side with a high pitched squeal.

Worf growled, again, tossed the blaster aside and gripped his bat'leth with two hands. He and the dark invader circled one another in the smoky corridor.

"We will meet one another in single combat then; and either I shall dine in Sto-vo-kor with Kahless, or you will go back to whatever hell spawned you."

"Which race are you rebel?" The dark warrior asked. His deep voice seemed to fill the whole hallway. Worf jerked back instinctively at the sound, its pure menace.

"I am Klingon!" Worf shouted and attacked with abandon, slicing and twirling and trying to catch the armored giant unawares. Each time he attacked it was as if his opponent knew exactly where his next attack was coming from and countered deftly with his thrumming energy sword. Worf's weapon merely brushed against the edge of the glowing swords' energy field and the explosion of power nearly flung it out of his grip. Tiny spatters of molten metal showered him but he ignored the pain and fought on.

"You have some skill, 'Klingon,' but the force is not strong with you."

The red energy blade dipped and swayed lazily. Worf gnashed his teeth in frustration and tightened his grip on the leather wrapped handles of his bat'leth. His palms felt like wet slabs of meat and his arms and shoulders ached; the muscles already taxed with the effort from controlling his pitted and scarred blade.

Worf raised the bat'leth to strike again but suddenly his opponent spun around completely, brought his weapon up sliced the bat'leth in two, came back around and spitted him through the belly with it.

"A valiant effort, but none can stand against the hand of the emperor," Vader gestured contemptuously and the Enterprise security chief flew backwards off the lightsaber blade and into the bulkhead, propelled by an unseen force.

Worf felt the brush of Vader's cloak as he passed by and the vibration from his heavy boots on the deck plates, but not his own grievous wounds.

"It must have cauterized my nerves," Worf blinked twice, "but why are my eyes not working? I should still be able to see--" then, he fell into darkness.

Artoo Detoo continued along the bottom of the desert canyon hunting for a navigable path to the top of the mesa. He knew that night was falling and due to the slow degradation of the data collected by his photoreceptors, but it did not bother the little droid as he switched automatically to infrared and radar to navigate through the gathering gloom. He found a winding yet gently rising trail and began to ascend. His broad footpads clicked on the gravelly surface of the trail as he left the windswept dunes behind. Artoo's audio receptors picked up a noise like metal against stone ahead of him. The droid paused for a moment, but when the noise was not repeated, he eventually rolled onward.

Unseen by the small maintenance robot were several humanoid creatures not much larger than himself, hidden amongst the wind carved rocks and ledges lining the small arroyo. Clad in filthy reddish brown robes, utility belts, and bearing mismatched bits of technology the stunted creatures waited in ambush. They peered at the R2 unit from darkened crevices and from holes scraped under boulders. Their glowing yellow or red eyes were adapted to both the days' relentless glare and the nights' inky blackness.

Each of the creatures, known by the locals as Jawas, stood barely as high as the droid that they stalked and were known far and wide for their legendary avarice, which was complemented by their equally legendary cowardice.

Finally, one of the Jawas, a bit taller and bolder than the others jumped from a crevice and fired a battered blunderbuss shaped energy weapon into Artoo at point blank range.

Artoo squealed in surprise just before the energy burst struck his chassis and glowed briefly in the dimming light. Artoo moaned once as his systems shut down; then, his tripod feet unbalanced and he toppled forwards onto his faceplate with a muted crunch.

The Jawas let out a series of gibbering squeals as they descended warily from the nearby hills to argue and jabber over the stunned droid. Eventually, the small group decided that he was no longer dangerous and hefted Artoo on their diminutive shoulders like a prize, and hauled him away. They carried him to an immense sandcrawler vehicle wedged awkwardly in a nearby wadi.

The sandcrawler was as enormous as the Jawas were small. It grounds its way across the surface of Tatooine as a base of operations for the Jawas' scrap dealing and salvage enterprise. Its' rusted and pitted body rode on four huge but ill maintained caterpillar tracks and numerous hatches, doorways and exit ramps scattered haphazardly around the hull opened for the returning Jawa party.

The leader called out to the sandcrawler crew which lowered a wide mouthed flexible hose over the side. The scavengers brought the contraption over to Artoo's inert form and positioned it just so. They waited while one of their number welded a metal cylinder to Artoo's barrel like body; a restraining bolt common the galaxy over for remotely controlling a droid's functions.

When he was satisfied at last, the Jawa technician stepped back and signaled to his comrades to activate the hose. A rush of air and Artoo was gone, sucked into the belly of the lumbering sandcrawler.

Meanwhile, Threepio continued across the endless dunes. The golden droid struggled up one windswept dune and down another. He paused at the crest of each and scanned the horizon looking for some indication that the next dune in sight might be the last before him. With each arduous climb his joints crusted further with fine Tatooine sand, and his hydraulics whimpered pitifully with each step.

At last, Threepio descended into the trough between two dunes and did not ascend to the next. The dejected droid sat on the edge of the dune until the fierce light of Tatooine's suns burned out his flickering photoreceptors and left him frozen with one arm over his face, head hanging down, and legs jutting out, half buried in the eternal sands.

"Luke! Luke!" Beru Lars called to her nephew Luke Skywalker. The lad stood near a cluster of vaporators sporting his utility belt, macrobinoculars, and a blaster slung on his hip. It was always best to greet these scavengers armed, alert, and with an eye on your credits.

"Yes aunt Beru?" Luke leaned over the lip of the sandstone pit his home recessed into. Various chambers wove through the rock, and a small courtyard surrounded his aunt's modest garden and a few of her prized trees. Droid servants puttered here and there going about household tasks.

"If your uncle buys a translator, tell him to make sure it speaks Bocce."

Luke turned and looked at the rusty land barge parked in the middle of his uncles' property.

"I'll tell him, but I don't think we have much of a choice."

She nodded up at him and he rejoined his Uncle near the base of the Jawa sandcrawler. He had already moved down the line of battered droids and picked out a multi-armed agricultural robot, and was mulling over a red and white R5 unit. The head Jawa scurried around and pointed out the various features and extolled the quality of his wares.

A dozen Jawas utilized a magnetic crane to lean an oddly marked circular ring up against the treads of their sandcrawler. It was carved from some strange metal and covered in a dozen alien markings. The ring was large enough for several people of maybe a speeder to pass through the center when placed upright.

Owen Lars laughed openly, "you've been trying to pass that old thing off on us for years, has anybody even made an offer on that hunk of junk?"

The Jawa jabbered away, waving his arms. Luke leaned over to whisper in his Uncle's ear.

"What?" Owen Lars turned to Luke, ignoring the Jawa, "oh, of course Luke, Biggs can stay for dinner, but you'll still need to clean these droids up before dinner." The big farmer turned back to the Jawa, "Nah, we don't need a Stargate, no thanks."

Luke thanked his uncle and dashed off to tell his friend the good news.

Owen glanced farther down the line and saw a golden skinned man in an odd earth toned uniform, the jawa jabbered again and pointed at the 'man.'

"What do you mean, 'he's a droid'?" Owen walked briskly up to the humanoid looking 'droid.'

"Good afternoon sir, I am Data. I can assure you I am artificial," Data opened one of his access panels on his arm showing the blinking lights and micro circuitry beneath.

"You're very realistic looking; I suppose you are programmed for etiquette and protocol."

Data nodded, "It is amongst my primary functions sir," a small blue droid standing next to Data warbled suddenly. Data cocked his head and then nodded slightly to the little astromech, "ah yes, and I also speak Bocce."

"What?" Owen looked slightly confused, "Oh yes, but what I really need is a droid that speaks the binary language of moisture vaporators."

Data nodded, "I am fluent in many forms of binary communication, in fact my primary programming is based on binary storage of information. If there is any difficulty in communicating with your moisture vaporators, I am highly skilled in research and can--"

"Ok, shut up," he turned to the Jawa leader, "I'll take this one."


	9. Chapter 9

Luke returned from his speeder. His tall, dashing comrade ducked into the farm's entrance.

"Take them down to the garage Luke, I want you to have them both cleaned up by suppertime," Owen nodded back in the direction of their low topped garage.

"Aw, Biggs and I were going to go over my application before dinner!" Luke whined.

"We'll talk about that later; now take the droids back to the garage."

The youth mumbled softly to himself, but turned to lead the droids back to the homestead.

The small procession set out only to be interrupted by a sudden outburst from Artoo Detoo. The Jawa leader pointed a remote control device at Artoo and halted his tantrum almost immediately.

Luke glanced at the small droid, but moved on. A few moments later, he noticed the R5 lagging behind and turned to cajole it into moving faster.

"Hey, red, get a move on!"

The little droid beeped happily and moved on, but halfway to the garage suffered a breakdown. It's motivator popped loose and shot into the air. R5 ground to a halt with a pathetic warble and began smoking profusely.

"Hey, uncle Owen, this droid has a bad motivator, look!"

Owen Lars turned to the Jawa leader, "Hey, what are you tryin' to push on us?"

The diminutive scrap dealer reacted indignantly but then stepped away from the irate farmer.

"Excuse me sir, but that astromech droid is fully functional despite his battered and dirty appearance. I beleive that it can fulfill the operational parameters of any task you relay with an efficiency of--"

"Yeah, yeah. Uncle Owen, what about that one?"

The deal concluded quickly, both parties were anxious to avoid any sort of hostilities. The Jawas knew they could easily flatten the homestead with their huge crawler, but with the moisture farmers' blasters at hand, one glance told them the chances of making it back to their rolling home were slim if fighting broke out.

Artoo passed the burning corpse of the R5 unit, sidled up next to Data, the agricultural droid and Luke. The little procession moved down a shallow sandstone ramp that leads down to the family garage and workshop.

Luke did a quick maintenance check on the smaller droids, then hooked Artoo to a power source and dipped the farm droid into an oil bath.

"I can't believe you're even functioning little guy," Luke finished with Artoo then turned to Data, "you don't look so bad, I don't suppose you need an oil bath eh?"

"Negative sir, I do not require petrochemical based lubrication."

"How do you maintain your systems?" Luke asked. The youth crouched and began to examine the R2 astromech droid. "Here you go little guy, it's recharge time for you."

"My joints are lubricated by a reservoir of an advanced silicate based compound which is cleaned and filtered internally, thus, I can operate for years in between periodic maintenance and services. However, my neural net pathways do not require lubrication in the traditional sense, and only need to be recalibrated every few years to assure that there is no degradation in computational speed or accuracy."

Luke stared at the strange droid, "where were you made anyway?"

"I am afraid I am not at liberty to reveal the circumstances of my manufacture at this time," Data apologized.

"What?" Luke stood and faced Data, "We bought you from the Jawa's, tell me!"

Artoo bleeped noisily from his niche near the doorway. Data glanced at Artoo, then stood stone faced and did not reply.

"Hey Luke, your uncle wants you to get upstairs for dinner--" Biggs Darklighter bounced down the stairs into the underground garage.

"OK Biggs, I'll be there. I just have to deal with a mouthy droid."

Biggs laughed, "what, you mean this--uh," Biggs stopped in his tracks as Data turned around, "--uh droid's giving you trouble?"

"Oh forget it, as long as you can talk to the vaporators, I don't care," Luke bent back to the task of cleaning Artoo, "you've got a lot of carbon scoring here. You two must have seen some action."

"That is how we came to be in your possession sir," Data said.

Luke whirled, "you know about the rebellion against the empire?"

"I am not familiar with the socio-political background of the empire, or the history of the rebellion. It is logical to assume that a totalitarian political entity that behaves as they do will provoke rebellions by those they abuse."

"You were in the battle in orbit? What happened? Who won?" Luke demanded.

"I left before the engagement between the Enterprise and the Devastator was fully concluded, so unfortunately, any answers I give will be incomplete until I can gather more information."

Bigg's turned to the Droid, "can you contact your ship?"

"Not at this time sir."

"I've gotta finish this quickly, my dinner's getting cold." Luke bent down and began to go to work on Artoo with a pick like tool. He pored over the Artoo's casing, looking for damage or loose components and cleaning nooks and crannies.

"Is there anything I can do sir?" Data asked.

Luke laughed, "just call me Luke. But, no, not unless you can speed up the harvest, alter time or teleport me off this rock."

"I may be able to arrange to teleport you off the surface of this planet, if my ship has survived the battle with the imperial stardestroyer."

Luke turned his head just as he pried at something stuck in one of Artoo's ports. Suddenly, whatever it was gave way and Luke fell backwards onto the greasy garage floor. A blue white holographic image of a young and beautiful woman appeared, projected by Artoo Deetoo to spot on the ferrocrete just in front of them.

"Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope." The young woman disappeared after her short speech, and then the hologram continued in a loop.

"Who is she? She's beautiful," Luke breathed.

"I'll say," Biggs quipped.

"Ah, that is a recording of Princess Leia Organa, an ambassador to the imperial senate. She was on board the Enterprise during the battle, but i do not know her ultimate fate."

"Is there any more of this?" Luke asked.

Artoo warbled in surprise.

"Yes, Artoo, he wants to see the rest of the recording," Data said sternly.

Artoo beeped again then honked insistently.

"I apologize sir, but Artoo says that the recording is for a general Obi Wan Kenobi, a resident of this area apparently."

"Well, I own him now; I want him to play the rest!"

Artoo shook his dome shaped head and whooped excitedly.

"He's is very insistent on this point sir, apparently this is part of a mission given to him by the princess, and hence the rebellion."

Bigg's stepped forward, "hey, if we can find General Kenobi, we can find out what's going on. I'll bet a hundred credits that he will know how to contact the rebellion too," Biggs helped Luke up, "this is your chance kid, we can join up with the rebellion together."

"Luke!" Owen Lars called down from the house. "Time to eat!"

Luke and Biggs glanced at one another, "alright, let's do it. But I have to break the news to Uncle Owen. You two wait here."

The two young men pounded up the stairs leaving both droids behind.

Artoo waited a moment, and then warbled at Data.

"You are right Artoo, we will need to leave now."

The federation droid reached down and plucked off Artoo's restraining bolt, then tapped the communicator on his left chest, "Data to counselor Troi, did you accomplish your objectives?"


	10. Chapter 10

On the battle scarred decks of the Enterprise, Captain Antilles organized a desperate defense.

"Here they come again!" Chief O'brien shouted and leveled his phaser at the end of the hallway.

The Stormtroopers charged again, repeating their nearly successful attempt to take the last strongpoint leading to sickbay. O'brien, Captain Antilles, and a dozen other mixed consular guards and crewmen fired as one and the first few imperials fell bonelessly to the floor sporting gaping wounds, reeled drunkenly and collapsed unconscious or in the case of those hit by Chief O'brien, vanished completely.

O'brien smiled grimly after each kill and kept his phaser set at maximum. He picked them up from the wounded and drained the power packs one after another. His wife, Keiko, worked in hydroponics, which, after all, had already fallen to the imperials.

The last of the defenders were torn, bloodied and outnumbered, but many refused to surrender or retreat further. Starfleet medical personnel rushed in and out of the fire fight to rescue their downed comrades, and not without loss. Nurse Ogawa lay trapped in a doorway across the hall from Captain Antilles, trying to hold in her pulped intestines with one hand and crawl away from the fighting with the other. Her eyes met with his and in that one instant he made a fateful decision.

"Cover me!" Antilles shouted. O'brien and the others fired as one and he charged across the hallway. He leaped over nurse Ogawa, then turned and pulled her inside the room by her shoulders.

"No! Get out!" She grated.

"Belay that Lieutenant. I'm getting you out of here."

The young woman shreiked in pain and flailed wildly. Antilles' muscular frame had no trouble hauling her out of the room and back across the hallway. He pulled her with one arm and fired his blaster with the other, just as the Stormtrooper charge reached its height.

The Stormtroopers advanced in rushes, the survivors of the first wave knelt and laid suppressive fire, while the second row tossed thermal detonators liberally down the hallways. The cacophony of explosions drowned out the cries of the wounded and the shriek of blaster fire. When the smoke cleared, the federation strongpoint: Antilles, O'brien, Ogawa, and the rest of the ad-hoc team were simply gone.

A Stormtrooper stood and surveyed the area with a bulky thermal sighting device, "they're all gone, we blasted them to atoms!"

"Search the area carefully, bring me some prisoners," barked the commander.

The troopers advanced cautiously down the blackened halls and over the twisted bodies of the fallen. CR-821 could not even hear his commander, only the sound of his blood rushing through his temples. He waved his EP-11 back and forth, waiting for some new rebel trick. The blaster fire was bad enough, but those disintegrating beams were the worst! Where did they get such an evil weapon? He turned the corner and found a doorway gaping open with light spilling into the hall. He keyed his throat mike and broadcast to the rest of the platoon.

"Sir, CR-821 here, contact front. Moving to investigate, out."

The commander and the bulk of the squad waited tensely in the hall, weapons out waiting for an ambush.

"What do you see troop?"

Static, then, "uh, sir, I've got a medical bay, doctors and dozens of patients--they've surrendered."

The commander let out the breath he had been holding, "groovy," he growled, then waved his squad forward.

They found CR-821 holding a half a dozen humanoids at bay with his blaster. They cowered in a cluster near dozens of wounded lying almost on top of one another all along the walls, both atop, between and under the normal hospitalization beds. All except for one older blonde woman in a blue jumpsuit; she stood her ground and was in the trooper's face, leaning heavily in a cane and shouting just as loud as he was.

"And I am telling you, whoever you are, that there are no weapons here, and that we _have_ surrendered. So get the hell out of my sickbay, now!"

The stormtrooper commander stepped forward and motioned for CR-821 to back down. Once glance around the room showed a half dozen stormtroopers amongst the wounded, all apparently being treated along with the rebels.

"Ok baby, we'll go, but you try onetrick," he waved a gauntleted finger at her, "and we start executing prisoners."

"I accept," agreed Doctor Pulaski softly.

"Move on to the next deck, two men stay here. Comms! Alert the Devastator to send in medical droids and another two squads to evacuate the wounded and prisoners."

Catherine Pulaski stared at the retreating backs of the stormtroopers for a moment, and then turned back to the task of saving as many lives as possible. _Did that man just call me, 'baby'?_

The last two troopers took up position at the entrance to sickbay, standing silently like a pair of guardian statues.

Jean Luc Picard sat in his ready room, patiently watching the progress of the Imperials burning their way through the door. He sighed to himself and glanced around at the models of the various incarnations of the Enterprise throughout federation history, his own trinkets and keepsakes from a hundred worlds, and, on his desk, a PADD detailing engine readouts and personnel reviews waiting for his perusal. He set his phaser up on the table and picked up the PADD, and glanced at the names, then back up at the door. _How did it come to this?_

"Q! You wanted to see me humbled, well; you've got what you wanted. Stop this!" Picard shouted.

"Au contraire, mon Capitane," Q appeared behind the desk, looking out the window, hands clasped behind his back. He was clad a dark grey uniform with a small peaked cap and red and blue insignia on the chest. What makes you think that this--" he gestured with a gloved hand to indicate the Enterprise, and thus the entire situation. "--is what I wanted?"

Picard blinked, "My people are dead Q! My ship--"

"Ah, yes. You're precious ship. Tsk Tsk, Jean Luc, is your vision so limited. What did I say to you? I told you of the dangers, and yet you pushed blindly ahead," Q's strange uniform disappeared, replaced by a 20th century suit, fedora, tie, press badge, and bulky silver microphone. Q glanced up at the 'sky' in mock horror and wailed: "Oh, the humanity!"

"That's enough Q! I have had enough--" Picard launched out of his chair.

Q turned slowly, "Have you Picard? Have you really had enough?"

"Am I mad, or is that a hint of regret I hear in your voice Q?"

Q stepped forward and stared directly into Picard's eyes, "going down with the ship captain? I expected better from you."

"What would you have me do, Q, beg? I will do it if you make this all go away."

"Oh no Mon capitaine, this is no illusion. This is as real as your, _primitive_ existence gets."

"So, we are doomed then," Picard sank back into his chair and placed a hand over his eyes.

Q sighed, "Oh, don't be so dramatic Jean-Luc. Where there is a will there is a way."

With a flash, Q vanished, leaving Captian Jean-Luc Picard alone with his thoughts.

Picard stood up and tapped his communicator, "Picard to Commander Riker."

"Riker here," came his first officer's disembodied voice.

"Listen carefully Number One, I am about to be captured, but I have one last order for you."

Less than a minute later, Picard's door burst open and imperial stormtroopers rushed inside.

Geordi Laforge pumped his good arm up in the air as the lights came on in main engineering, "Yes!"

"Data, we did it!" Ensign Gomez hugged the android for a moment as a brief rush of euphoria swept through the crew.

Readout panels and status boards lit up all over engineering, as the warp core began to flood the ship with power once again.

The race was on, for the remaining crew to shunt the power to still functioning systems and avoid further damage.

"Ok, we've got lights, full life support, the holo-deck, the main computer, no weapons yet, but half impulse and maybe warp, hmmm, blah blah blah... aha! transporters functioning!"

Data and Geordi looked at one another, and a big smile broke across the chief engineer's face.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Data?"

"I believe I understand your strategy, Geordi. Computer, locate commander Riker, Chief O'brien, Lt. Commander Worf, Doctor Pulaski, Counselor Troi, and Captain Picard."

"There he is, stun him!"

Jean-Luc Picard made a simple choice, he would not die, but instead he would live to fight another day.

The phaser fired once on wide beam, heavy stun and three troopers crumpled to the floor.

Before he could fire once more, a blue energy discharge struck Picard full on and he slumped over his desk.

A stormtrooper knelt over Picard and checked his vitals.

"He'll be ok, let's move him back to the breach with the others."

Moments before, O'brien and his ad hoc security team appeared aboard the battle bridge in the secondary hull, and with only a quick glance around recognized their situation.

"Thank you Geordi!" O'brien crowed. Even the consular guards laughed in relief at not being reduced to their component atoms.

Captain Antilles and Chief O'brien took control of the mob on the battle bridge and began to organize the survivors, the first order of business was to begin the saucer separation as soon as possible, but for that they would need at least one of the command crew.

"Picard to commander Riker," Riker smiled in spite of himself at hearing Captain Picard's voice.

"Riker here."

"Listen carefully Number One, I am about to be captured, but I have one last order for you." Picard swallowed heavily and aimed his phaser at the door as he spoke. "You are to conduct saucer separation and flee this system as quickly as possible. You will also send an away team to recover the driods and locate this general Kenobi," Picard paused, "Q was here Will, and we are not going home any time soon."

"Understood Captain, implementing part II now."

"Good luck, and godspeed number one."

"You too sir."

"Riker to Laforge, implement phase II."

Chief O'brien glanced around. Column after column of blue sparkles announced that his tranporters were working again, the lights flickered and came alive, and even the crew stations flared into life. Deanna Troi and princess Leia appeared on the battlebridge, along with the supine form of nurse Ogawa, and Lt. Commander Worf. Missing was Ensign Crusher, Doctor Pulaski, and his wife amongst many others. He knelt and checked the chief of security and the nurse.

"My god," He cried and tapped his communicator, "medical emergency, battlebridge!"

Deanna Troi rushed to his side, "I can feel them, and they're alive!"

Darth Vader stalked the halls of the Enterprise, lightsaber in hand. He moved slowly, and deliberately with a reinforced platoon of the Devastators best troops in tow. The Sith lord entered the Enterprise bridge with his entourage.

"Gentlemen, report."

"The Death star plans are NOT in the main computer," stated a Stormtrooper messenger.

Another Imperial officer strode up, "Lord Vader, no transmissions were sent by the blockade runner. But an escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting. No life sings were detected on board, but due to their matter transmission technology, the plans could have been sent anywhere."

" No commander, they are on the planet, I can feel it. Send a detatchment down to the surface, the princess could have hidden the plans in there," Vader turned again and saw a beautiful woman being escorted towards him, in shackles led by a pair of stormtroopers.

"Darth Vader," Guinan spat, "only you could be so bold. When you find out who you have been fooling with I am sure you will be as sur--"

"Do I know you?" Vader rumbled.

"My name is Guinan." She paused and stared into his eyes, "I'm the bartender," she added, and smiled brightly at the armored giant.

"That makes you part of the rebel alliance and a traitor, take her awa-wait." Vader stopped his tirade with his gauntleted hand pointing in her face.

"You! You were the one who opposed me."

Guinan took a bow, "with pride."

Vader nodded, "You may be strong in the force, but there will be time later to _educate_ you fully, take her away."

Two Stormtroopers arrived, carrying Captain Picard's inert form between them.

"So," Vader paused for two long breaths, "this is Jhonnluke Pikard."

Suddenly, Picard's inert form disappeared and a moment later more columns of blue light erupted all around the bridge. The dozen Stormtroopers guarding the imperial officers vanished. The officers reacted with shock and did not notice until it was too late that four other transporter beams appeared in their midst and materialized as four federation officers. Three security officers and Commander Riker appeared and fired almost in the same instant and both of the Imperial officers remaining on the bridge fell to the floor.

Vader whipped around at the first sound of the transporters and ignited his lightsaber.

"Impressive, most impressive."

Riker whistled arrogantly at Darth Vader and nodded towards the main viewer, "check out your boys, looks like they're floating home. Unless you want to join them I suggest you drop that weapon and surrender."

Vader turned his head slightly, indeed there were the Stormtroopers floating helplessly in space just outside the enterprise saucer section. To their credit, all still held their blaster rifles and were trying to grab hold of one another to avoid floating away.

If Lord Vader had been a more humorous man, he might have laughed, but instead he strode forward, raised a gauntleted hand and concentrated the power of the dark side to manipulate matter. He 'speak' to objects and make them move, or obey his commands, his power was great indeed. What he chose to do with his power this time was to 'speak' a single word to the small fleshy part of one of the security officers known as the larynx, and the word he said was: 'crush.'


	11. Chapter 11

_Counselor's personal Log: Stardate 42761.6 Tatooine  
Will ordered Data and I to the planets surface to locate a person named General Obi-Wan Kenobi, a veteran of a galactic wide conflict known as 'the clone wars' and apparently the last hope for the rebel alliance. We had only moments to prepare for this mission and took only a phaser, tricorder, and communicator each. I am not sure I can accomplish my objectives, even though are simple: find General Kenobi and arrange for transport off of Tatooine in case the Enterprise is destroyed, captured, or forced from the system. Once Data finds the droid, we will rendezvous in the spaceport. I can only pray that we will be successful and that somehow we can return home. I am lost in a series of box canyons and have not found any sign of civilization. I have no water, and I am nearly finished, perhaps Data will survive and let you know how I died here. William, oh sweet Will! I love you still!_  
She snapped the tricorder shut and attached it to her belt, then staggered forward, panting, on unsteady legs. Counselor Troi found herself in the rocky wastes, alone, dying of thirst. After a few zig zagging kilometers through the twisting canyons, she looked up at the sky beyond the canyon walls and tried to focus. Impossible. The glare left her vision blurred and spotty, and the skin of her face, hands, neck and breasts stung viciously. She had stopped sweating a few minutes before, and even though her heat addled brain did not recognize the fact, she was dying of heat exhaustion. Her mind began to shut down and flooded with bits and pieces of shattered memories.  
Will, on the battle bridge.  
A crewman giving Worf CPR.  
Princess Leia squeezing her hand, lips moving slowly.  
Will's eyes staring into hers just before he beamed away.  
Data's all too realistic hand on her shoulder.  
Data saying, "are you ready counselor?"  
She was alone again, and trapped just as she had been in that crushed shuttlecraft. Just like the last time, she could hear Will in her heart. He felt the same terror as the day that Tasha died, shrieking, "Data! Something's got me!"  
"Will! No!" She cried out at the harsh, blue, cloudless sky, tore at her hair, and fell to her knees. She made harsh, dry hacking noises, and then collapsed on the rocks.  
Some time later, she awoke, head throbbing and heart empty. Deanna crawled along for a few moments, fell, picked herself back up, and then stood shakily against a boulder.  
The first sun had set, and soon, so would the second, and the temperature was not so unbearable. Deanna turned, belly against the boulder, and slumped over the still warm rock. Slowly, her blurry vision cleared and focused. In the distance, there was a great, horned, four legged, hairy beast of burden standing nearly motionless at the bottom of the Wadi. Deanna took a couple of deep breaths and steadied herself.  
"Ok Lieutenant, get a hold of yourself. That thing is wearing a saddle, so there must be a rider around here somewhere, but where?"  
Even in her beleaguered state the half Betazoid felt the sub-human wave of mixed malice, hunger, and lust slam into her. Her body flooded with adrenaline a half second before the ugly linen wrapped face loomed above her from behind the rock, hooting and gurgling an alien battle cry.  
Deanna yelped and fell back, one hand scrabbling for her phaser, while the insect infested humanoid hefted a wicked looking staff weapon above its head and continued its obscene call. She saw it begin to bend its legs and prepare to leap down on her, then the red line of the phaser beam connected them for a moment and it collapsed in a heap on the rocks, the stick weapon clattered on the stone surface and skittered away.  
The humanoid gave a grunt and a foul exhale then lay still. But moments later, two other calls answered from close nearby, and Counselor Troi struggled to stand. She was on one knee and glancing about furtively when the first one broke her collarbone from behind with his Gaffi stick. She flopped over like a dead fish, and her phaser fell from nerveless fingers.  
The two remaining sand people stood over her for a moment, and then while one kicked contemptuously at his unconscious fellow, the other flipped her on her back and knelt over her. The sandpeople argued for a few moments, and then the one over Deanna took a lock of her hair between its fingers and rubbed them together slowly. A deep growl rolled up out of his throat and he grasped the neckline of her uniform and wrenched it apart, exposing the white flesh beneath.  
Deanna gasped and coughed weakly. Both of the sandpeople froze and stared at her nakedness. They began to move to her as one, until an ear splitting shriek echoed through the narrow valley. Within moments the desert nomads had fled in terror, dragging their comrade with them.  
A brown robed figure clambered slowly to Deanna and knelt beside her. An aged, liver spotted hand protruded from the voluminous robe and touched her shattered clavicle lightly. The old man stooped lower, and took her chin in his hand and turned her head gently from side to side. Half conscious, Deanna moaned and tried to stir, but from the newcomer she felt only concern and fatherly love.  
"Well, well little one. It seems you have gotten yourself into some trouble," Obi Wan said, "Don't worry though, sleep now without pain," The old Jedi waved a hand over her head and she slumped back into a deep sleep, a winsome smile on her lips. He shucked his robe, covered her, then scooped her in his arms and began to make his way slowly back to his cavern home.  
Left behind on the rock was a small triangular pin, which chirped hours later, followed by the disembodied voice of Lt. Commander Data asking futilely for counselor Deanna Troi of the starship Enterprise.

"Christ!" Someone shouted.  
Ensign Carpenter's hands shot to his throat and a horrible gurgle erupted from his lips with a burst of pink froth and spittle. His phaser thumped on the deck. Ensign N'tinga tried to catch his companion as he fell, wrapping his arms around his partner and heaving to keep him from falling face first to the deck.  
"It's him, fire!" Riker's eyes narrowed and two phaser beams leaped across the deck towards the Sith lord.  
Vader deflected one beam with his Lightsaber, but accustomed to short blaster bolts, he could not recover in time to stop the second with his energy sword. The second beam he deflected with his left hand, growling with the effort.  
The beams ended and Riker looked to his subordinates, "N'tinga, fire! Maximum stun!"  
Vader stepped forward again and raised his thrumming blade to slice the rebels apart. Riker and his team gave ground.  
The security ensign let his buddy fall to the floor and snap shot his phaser along with his comrades. The three beams converged on the giant villain one refracting off his blade, one reflected by his other hand, and the third striking him in the left shoulder and spreading a red shimmering through his torso.  
Vader fell to one knee with a groan, and his saber flew away and bit into a command console, slicing part of it off clean.  
"Again! Hit him again!"  
They raised their phasers again and pointed them at Darth Vader, half slumped on the floor.  
Vader stared at them, pure hate coming from his gaze, focused on the three men and their evil weapons. _How? How have they done this? How have they brought me to my knees? My knees!_ He screamed and the dark side of the force surged through him flinging the rebels back into the wall with bone shattering force. Vader blinked for a moment, surprised at the words that came from his mouth, the same words that he had used, long ago, back then...  
"I hate you!"  
He used the dark side gratuitously forcing his numbed limbs and shocked organs back to life. He shambled over to Riker and lifted the dazed officer from the floor by the throat with one mechanical arm. Riker's eyes bulged in disbelief and he clamped both hands around Darth Vader's arm.  
Vader gestured thrice with the other and the other security men died strangling on their own blood with the first two and with the third reclaimed his saber.  
"I want to know what happened to the plans you intercepted," he growled, giving Riker a little shake.  
"We intercepted, no transmissions--" Riker gagged and kicked his feet a little, "We are a peaceful ship, on an exploration mission!" Vader's vise like grip clamped harder and harder on Riker's throat.  
"If you are a peaceful ship, then why use illegal disintegration beams?" If Riker heard the question he gave no indication, his eyes rolled up into his head, and the sound of ripping cartilage and snapping bone flooded through the Enterprise bridge.  
_Imzadi, I love you! _  
Vader tossed the grisly missle against a bulkhead and leaned wheezing against Captain Picard's chair. He glanced down at the faux leather seat hatefully.  
"And next I will slay you Jhonnluke Pikard, but you will die slowly, unlike your officer here."


	12. Chapter 12

Jean Luc awoke, lying on the battle bridge. He blinked and glanced around. Two faces loomed over him, the beatific and smiling princess Leia and the concerned glower of Chief Miles O'brien.

"W-what?" He croaked feebly.

"Whoa, take it easy there captain. You were stunned and I had to bring you around with this," the chief held up a hypospray, "you're going to feel pretty lousy for a little while."

Picard groaned while the pair helped him sit up.

"Jean Luc," Leia cried kneeling next to him and throwing her arms about his neck, "you're awake, you're alive!'

"I'm awake in any case Leia, barely. Chief, report;" Picard glanced around worriedly at the controlled chaos then added, "quickly."

"We have partial main power, and most systems aren't fully prepared, but we are ready to separate. If we're going to do it, we'd better do it now."

"Agreed Chief," Picard stood with a grunt, leaning heavily on the princess, "Will, Data, the others?"

"Commander Data and Counselor Troi beamed to the surface, Geordi in main engineering, Worf is badly wounded, and Doctor Pulaski, and Wesley are among the missing," Chief O'brien paused and glanced down sadly.

"Commander Riker?"

"He attempted a surprise attack to retake the bridge. We lost contact with his team a few moments ago," O'brien sighed. "Sir, there are no life signs from his team."

"Dear god," Picard shook visibly, but continued the briefing, "have we evacuated the saucer section completely?" Picard allowed the Princess to help him into the command chair.

"Yes captain, I transported all the survivors into the drive section just before I woke you up. Security force fields are holding the Stormtroopers back, for now."

"Then we have not a moment to lose. Chief, commence saucer separation," Picard set his jaw and glanced at the image on the main viewscreen: the bow of the Devastator jutting out above them like the upper jaw of some great beast.

"Saucer separation in three, two, one, mark!"

The Enterprise decapitated herself with a resounding clang and the familiar pulsating hum of her main reactor. A quick hissing burst of maneuvering thrusters pushed the drive section down and away from the swiftly orbiting Devastator. Blue light flashed from her impulse engines and the Federation flagship shot forward in graceful flight.

"Ensign, prepare to bring her about. Bridge to engineering," Picard said calmly tapping at his armrest.

"Laforge here," came the reply.

"Commander I need warp power in less than a minute."

"You've got in now Captain, but even so, we can only get to warp 4.5 safely, and only for a few minutes. Otherwise we won't be able to maintain a warp field."

"A few moments is all I shall need, Picard out." The Captain turned to the rest of the bridge crew and issued a rapid fire fusillade of orders.

"Captain! The Enterprise has escaped our docking clamps!" the cry rose from the Devastator's scanning station.

Captain Praji spared a glance at the status boards, "impossible! All boards show that we have them! We have prisoners; Stormtrooper teams throughout the--"

The Enterprise drive section swooped out in front of the Stardestroyer the turned one hundred and eighty degrees and headed back towards the Imperial ship.

The Imperial Bridge erupted into chaos.

"They're moving to attack position!" Lt. Hija exclaimed.

"Shields up," Praji called over his shoulder.

"Target locked, permission to fire," the gunnery officer glanced up, his hand poised above the controls.

Now, a conundrum, their orders were clear: capture, do not destroy the Enterprise.

Praji opened his mouth to reply, but the communications officer broke in, "receiving a hail sir."

Praji ground his teeth, "hold fire. Let's see this hail."

Hija and Praji strode over to the holo-communications station and waited stiffly for the transmission to come through.

"Onscreen," O'brien stated.

PIcard took in the grainy blue image of the two imperial officers standing in the dim gunmetal grey command deck of the imperial warship. Black clad chief and bone white stormtroopers scurried in the background.

'So, that was what Q meant, taunting me with that uniform. This is entirely my fault!' Picard thought at the sight of the two men facing him. The federation captain grimaced, the veins in his temples trobbing angrily. He took a deep breath and began an exposition rife with barely suppressed rage.

"I am captain Jean Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise., to whom am I speaking?"

Captain Praji motioned Hija back and took one step forward, "Captain Anton Praji of the Imperial stardestroyer Devastator. Surrender Pikard, we have what's left of your ship in our sights and--"

"Captain Praji," Picard interrupted, "we have extended a hand of friendship and diplomacy and you have cast is aside. We merely wished to serve as an intermediary between your parties, to preserve innocent--"

"Intermediary, negotiations, what sort of drivel is this? Don't bark at me Pikard, you are in no position. Now, lower your shields and surrender, or we will destroy you."

"Your arrogance is your weakness captain. You overestimate your vessel's strength. We have you in our sights as well, and you know the effects our phasers have on your shielding," Picard paused for the thought to sink in and smiled grimly, "what we have here is a Mexican standoff."

"A what?"

"Each of us holds the life of the other. Now, we can destroy one another or we can talk."

Praji laughed," your quaint vessel doesn't have the power to seriously damage an Imperial stardestroyer!"

Picard smirked, "one does not require brute force when one has deadly accuracy." He nodded to Chief O'brien who tapped in a few commands on the tactical console.

"Phasers and photon torpedoes locked on their bridge captain," O'brien announced loud enough for everyone to hear.

Praji glanced at Lt. Hija who took one look at the scanning station, looked back to his superior and nodded slowly.

Praji snarled and whirled back on Picard's blue image floating on the holo-imager before him, "take your best shot Pikard!"

He raised a gloved hand to signal the gunnery officer who in turn took a split second to scream down into the fire control pits, "all guns, fire!"

Picard saw Praji's hand begin to raise, his index finger extending, "helm, engage!"

A dozen turbolaser bolts erupted at once and converged on the Enterprise hovering just above the Devastator striking her full force. The bolts then emerged from the other side of the Federation ship, blossoming outward just as they had converged a moment before.

But, there was another Enterprise, for a split second connected to the first by a blur of multicolored light. While the confused gunners of the Devastator were trying to get a damage assessment on the Enterprise above them, the true enterprise dropped out of warp behind them.

The intertial dampers could barely compensate for the tremendous force of the deceleration, but the crew was prepared and braced themselves.

Picard hung on to his chair as his ship shuddered to a halt, "ready all aft batteries!"

"Aye sir!" O'brien cried hanging onto his console for dear life.

"By the Emperor, what was that?" Praji cried, "where are they? Track them!"

Lt. Hija tumbled to the scanning station, "oh, no."

"This is for Will Riker you bastards," Picard whispered softly, then "Fire!"

Aft torpedoes shot forth and flew up the Devastator's exhaust nozzles. The main engines ruptured with a thunderous explosion spewing radiation and flames into space.

"Fire!" He shouted.

Phasers cut through the ray shielding and sliced into the rear of the bridge tower and the scanning globes, one of which erupted into a fireball.

"Fire!"

An additional spread of photon torpedoes savaged the entire rear of the Stardestroyer in a broad assault, blasting secondary engines and hammering rear turbolaser batteries.

A victory yell resounded through the enterprise bridge and Picard slumped exhausted inot his chair.

"We did it!" Leia shouted gleefully.

Picard exhaled and slumped into his chair, exhausted, "Chief, get us out of here, warp two any heading, engage."

The enterprise seemed to elongate for a moment and with a flash of light was gone.


	13. INterlude 1

Daniel and O'neil sat in a darkened room staring at the video feed coming from the probe on the other side of the activated Stargate. The probe's camera panned by a battered and rusty metallic wall and several piles of silent machinery and industrial refuse all lit by the pale blue glow of the Stargate 'liquid energy field.'

"We found an intergalactic junkyard?" O'neil ventured.

General West stared at him, but said nothing. Kawalsky hid a smile by pretending to cough softly.

Slowly the camera turned around and focused on a glowing quartz ring. Another Stargate!

"Freeze it," commanded General West.

Kawalsky zoomed in on the image of the Stargate. Daniel leaned in unconsciously to get a better look at the alien device.

"The markings," he cried, "they're different!"

General West smirked, "that's why I wanted you to take a look. The readouts tell us that the atmosphere on the other side is an earth match, and of course we can all see the technology there. We are planning a short boy-scout type mission, nothing fancy. Survey the area inside a quarter mile perimeter, gather information, and bring it back."

"I guess my job will be to decipher the symbols and dial everyone back home, right?"

O'neil glanced up from his seat, "can you do it?"

Daniel glanced back at the image for a moment and considered silently, "Yes, yes I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

Meanwhile Kawalsky fiddled with the camera trying to get a better look at the room when he noticed something moving, he panned towards it and saw a short, robed creature scurrying around in the room, apparently panicked by the blue glowing energy field of the Stargate.

"Positive." Daniel said with more conviction.

"Fine," West nodded, "you're on the team."

O'neil and Kawalsky glanced at one another, alarmed, and then back at the screen. A dozen of the little creatures flooded the bay jabbering and arguing.

"Uh, sir?" Kawalsky said softly.

"Lieutenant Kawalsky, can you not interrupt--" General West turned and stared open mouthed.

Finally one of the little yellow eyed monstrosities pointed a blunderbuss device at the probe and fired a blue electrical discharge. Instantly the video feed cut off.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday," O'neil said sourly.

General West goggled for a moment, "Shut down the gate! I want a security lockdown, now!"

Kawalsky issued the orders through the Tacnet and klaxons began blaring.

"Colonel O'neil, assemble your team, you leave in half an hour. We can't afford to have the other side of the gate compromised!"

"Yes sir!"

Colonel Jack O'neil gathered his equipment in a rush, cursing softly to himself. He rushed out of his quarters and passed a huge metal blast door on his way to the Stargate chamber. He stopped, swiped a card key through a reader on the security door, and waited for the soft 'snickt' of the bolts opening. There, preserved inside was the huge chunk of rock that had originally been found beneath the Stargate over the thousand years ago. The humanoid crushed underneath had become a perfect fossil. Remarkably, the body showed little signs of damage. But it was the weird inhuman skull that drew O'neil's attention. Ever since he had seen it he knew what he would find on the other side of the Stargate, warriors at once so advanced and also so primitive. He walked up to the preserved corpse and looked down at the artificial breathing apparatus, the strange linen robes, long barreled rifle, and curved fighting stick.

"Well fellah, I guess it will be between the two of us then, and to tell you the truth, I don't fucking care which way it goes."

Lt. Ferretti Staggered forward, overwhelmed by the experience of transporting across space and time in an instant.

"What a rush," he breathed.

Colonel O'neil crouched in front of him, instantly in his combat stance after the journey and scanning their surroundings.

The glow from the now activated Stargate spilled out into a dark, foul smelling chamber with a low ceiling and piles of metallic junk scattered around the floor.

The modified EOD bomb detecting robot was nowhere to be found. A wide scuff mark through the oily grime on the floor marked where the machine had been dragged away. It lead directly to large metal ramp that reminded O'neil of being inside an extremely disgusting Hercules C-130 cargo plane.

"We're inside a vehicle," O'neil thought, "just fucking fantastic, this gets better and better!"

"Ok, we've found where those creatures took the probe, but what the hell is this!"

"Cut the chatter," O'neil hissed. Behind him, Jackson banged his shin into something metallic once the Stargte was deactivated behind them and plunged the room into darkness. He yelped aloud and began rubbing his injured appendage.

Lt Kawalsky responded first to Colonel O'neil's disgusted expression, "Porro, pick up the geek and let's get going ok?"

"Sir," Porro replied with a slight Mexican accent, and moved off to secure the scientist.

Brown, the science officer, shot his buddy, Kawalsky, a nasty look that said 'what's that shit about geeks, motherfucker?'

Kawalsky grinned back and gave him the finger.

The six commandoes stared wide eyed into the garage like chamber, weapons out, scanning for any kind of contact.

O'neil silently signaled his team to fan out and utilize their night vision goggles, Reilly and Ferretti already had them on and moved off to the left of the team navigating through piles of garbage. Reilly froze and held up his fist behind him and Ferretti repeated the gesture to the rest of the team.

Various electronic noises sounded and shuffling mechanical devices moved fitfully in the darkness.

"Sir, I've got something," Reilly hissed.

Lt. Ferretti glanced at the man, "what is it?"

"Movement, at two o'clock, three meters,"

The team moved to surround the target with smooth precision, and Ferretti gave Reilly the nod, and he leaned out from behind a pile of junk to get a look at it, and then leaned back.

"What is it?" Ferretti asked quietly.

"Uh, sort of a box with legs," Reilly replied.

"Gonk." Gonk said and trundled around aimlessly.

The team relaxed and came out of their crouches.

"What's a Gonk?" Daniel asked.

Data and Artoo stopped abruptly once they hear Luke's landspeeder approaching fast from behind them.

Artoo bleeped forcefully and moved around Data to continue on down the canyon, alone if he had to.

"Artoo wait for me," Data said and followed after him. Every fifteen minutes or so the android tapped his communicator and asked aloud, "Data to Counselor Troi, come in."

Artoo honked again.

"It is within my programming to carry out my objectives to the best of my ability, and no it is not pointless. I could very well say the same thing about you looking for this General Obi Wan Kenobi person.

A few minutes later Luke and Biggs pulled up in the landspeeder looking angrily at the pair of wayward droids.

Artoo continued for a few more feet before Biggs interposed himself between the droid and its intended path, "whoa there little fellah, you aren't going anywhere now."

Artoo squealed angrily then hooted in resignation.

"Where are you going, do realize how much trouble you twogot me into?" Luke demanded angrily.

"I apologize for any trouble we may have caused sir, but it is vital that information being carried inside R2-D2 get to the rebel alliance as soon as possible," Data explained.

"Yeah, we know, but why didn't you wait for us? I got into a huge fight with Uncle Owen because of you two!"

Data opened his mouth to answer but Luke cut him off with a wave of his hand, "no, no, I've heard just about enough out of you. Let's just go, we can get you to old Ben Kenobi, perhaps he's related to this Obi-Wan guy."

Data stared at Luke.

Biggs smirked at Data's expression, "Guess you left to soon, smart droid, here Luke knows this Obi-Wan's cousin or son or something the whole time and you left without us to wander around out here."

"You do have a point sir, but we have also been using Artoo's sensors to track down the communication device worn by my partner, Lt. Deanna Troi, ships counselor. She is also in this area searching for General Kenobi and so far I have been unable to contact her. We could not wait until the morning to begin our search."

"What the nerf?Is she in trouble?" Luke exclaimed.

"There is no way of telling that sir," Data replied, although she is several hours overdue to contact me.

"Hear that Luke? Another rebel contact, soon we'll have a whole platoon!" Biggs laughed.

Luke chuckled politely, Artoo tootled wistfully at him.

"Ok ok, I'm not mad you two, but just learn to trust us from now on ok?"

"Yes sir," Data said.

"Aright then, we pile in the landspeeder and look for this Lt Troi as she might be in trouble, then we go straight to old Ben once we have her, sound like a plan?" Biggs crossed his arms and stared at Data.

Data glanced back, "that sounds like a reasonable course of action. Sir, may I drive the landspeeder? My reflexes are considerably more attuned than those of a human and I have extensive experience piloting starships. I will be able to cut our search time down considerably."

"Hmph, I'm not such a bad pilot myself," Luke said. "Why, if I hadn't busted up my sky hopper I could show you how to bulls-eye whomp rats down in beggars canyon."

"Another time Luke, let's go! We've got a lady to save."

The four of them clambered aboard the Landspeeder and shot off into the distance surrounded by a cloud of dust.


	14. Chapter 13

Darth Vader stared at the body of Lieutenant Harris crumpled on

the Enterprise main bridge. Imperial technicians, stormtroopers, and droids

swarmed over the prize.

"Killed by a superheated plasma discharge my lord," the imperial

doctor knelt by the corpse, examining him with the help of an imperial medical droid.

"Fools," Vader hissed. He turned and inspected the exploded panel

and melted components, spattered with the Federation officers' dried blood

and viscous fluids. An imperial Engineer sat next to it, scrutinizing each of

the components as they were removed, filmed cataloged and cleaned by the

salvage droids.

"It seems so, but it has the advantage of a surprising level of

sophistication and computational speeds for a computer core of a ship this size," the engineer chimed.

The doctor turned to a pair of stormtroopers standing nearby and

removed his quarantine gloves with practiced ease, "I'm done here."

The stormtroopers hauled to corpse away, edging around the slicer

droids plugged into the Enterprise control panels.

"Have the droids penetrated the computer core yet?" Darth Vader

asked idly. He picked up a random component from a tray of pieces

tagged 'unknown 'and began to turn it over and over in his hands. It was

small, and rectangular, consisting of pressed leafs of an organic substance

bound by a leather covering marked with lettering. Apparently, it was a

primitive information storage device.

The engineer stood with a grunt and stared at the strange object, "we found it in Jhonnluke Pikard's room; we have been able to translate the language but the contents remain a mystery my lord, perhaps you can make sense of it."

Darth Vader paused for several breaths then flipped it open to the first page, "let me see a translation."

A droid nearby brought up a holographic display within moments, "The Holy Bible, King James Version. Chapter One: Genesis. In the beginning there was darkness…"

"End translation," Vader ordered. He turned to the nearest officer, "All information found is now designated at the highest level of classification. Bring all captured rebels to the main cargo bay immediately, I wish to inspect them."

Darth Vader brought up the information of Hija's droid assisted

interface which was wired to the Enterprise command console.

"Yes my lord," Lt. Hija glanced down, "all of the prisoners will be

transferred, including those who were damaged, within the hour."

The Sith Lord planted his fists on his hips and surveyed his prize, "the Emperor will be pleased, despite this debacle." He turned to the junior officer before moving to the turbolift, "Excellent work, _Commander_."

"Lord Vader?" The newly promoted Commander Hija blinked, then smiled broadly, "thank you my Lord!"

Darth Vader stopped in mid-stride, and then slowly turned back, "Never thank a Dark Lord Commander."

Doctor Pulaski ran a hand along her patients' shoulder, feeling gently for the break in his collarbone. The blaster bolt left a charred hole in

his upper left chest, despite the stormtrooper battle armor he had been wearing

All of the patients in the imperial medical facility were either resting comfortably or, if their injuries were serious enough, had been

transferred to bacta tanks for accelerated healing. Doctor Pulaski thought about the amazing substance and how well it treated a wide

variety of injuries and ailments. She was glad for the help the medical droids offered as well, but she still preferred Federation medical

technology; a dermal regenerator, while it could only treat a small area of the body, was infinitely more convenient and portable than a

huge tank of fluid.

The patient winced at her touch and scowled up at her, "what're ya doin' doc?"

"Checking for infections, now hold still," She scolded him.

The stormtrooper settled down and put up with the discomfort. He watched the doctor move her instrument over his wound,

which miraculously closed, leaving an ugly red sore where a nasty burn had been. His eyes tracked from her winsome, motherly smile and

blue eyes, down over her form fitting uniform. I knew older chicks were hot, but DAMN!

"So, ahhh--" He licked his lips and with effort brought his eyes back up to hers.

Doctor Pulaski stopped, retrieved a medical tricorder from her instrument stand and began to wave it back and forth, measuring his

vital signs. She took a deep breath and looked down at him hungrily, admiring his blue eyes, thick wavy black hair, well muscled body, and his long, thick, and prominent chin.

"I can't believe this,' she thought. The doctor glanced around furtively. Only one other doctor was doing rounds, her imperial

keeper that had been her shadow ever since she had volunteered to continue working after being captured. She took her Hippocratic Oath very seriously. "We do have some time--"

"Don't you think I need some more, ah, tests?" He grinned at her.

Damn him, every time he starts sweet talking… Doctor Pulaski bit her lip and tried not to let out a giggle.

'You know that you are out of line trooper," she looked up at his chart and swiveled away from him. A half dozen of his companions laid in various stages of repair around the iron gray medical ward. Three of them were like him; clones, but the rest were individuals, recruits from all over the galaxy.

"Ah come on doc, don't be such a goody little two shoes eh?" He reached up and ran a hand along her hip, kneading softly, "I think I could use some 'physical therapy,' y'know?"

Kate Pulaski closed her eyes and stifled a small noise in her throat. She waved the medical droid away, drew the isolation curtain

and leaned over her handsome young patient, "Will you give me some more of those sweet words that I love so much?

His strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, his right hand wove into and gripped her short blonde hair eliciting a soft gasp.

"Gimme some sugar baby." The stormtrooper pulled her onto him and crushed her lips against her own, smothering any protests she might have made.

Captain Picard glanced over the faces of those gathered in the conference room. Some of the faces he was as familiar with as his own, others were new. Geordi Laforge and Chief O'brien, fell into the former category. Ensigns Sonya Gomez, B. G. Robinson, Taurikand Reginald Barclay, Doctor Selar, and the representatives of the Rebel alliance, Princess Leia and Captain Antilles definitely fell into the latter. Though the new ensigns were not known to him personally, he knew of them through their evaluations and the occasional brief meeting in ten forward or at a ships function. He had no doubt that they would not be Starfleet officers if they were not made of the finest moral fiber and highest levels of professional development. But, the trauma of the last day showed plainly on them all, hollow eyed and dour of countenance, all of them sat in silence or hung their heads in exhaustion and shock. Picard nodded absently to himself, they needed their spirits lifted and to regroup mentally. For his sort of thing he usually relied on the talents of the ships counselor, Deanna Troi, but as she was unavailable, he would have to serve as both Captain and moral compass. He cleared his throat.

"I need not restate the magnitude of our losses," he stood and straightened his tunic, "we have all lost someone that knew, worked with, cared for; but I do need to tell you how very proud I am of all of you." Picard's voice wavered when he looked over the assembled faces of his officers and guests. Leia stared back at him; her fine brown eyes locked with his and lent him their quiet strength.

"I am humbled by your dedication, your élan and the selfless service to your fellows. Starfleet thanks you, I thank you. I am, so very proud of each of you." The Captain moved around the table, placing a hand on O'brien's shoulder, shaking hands with captain Antilles, inspecting Laforge's broken arm, and accepting a salute en masse from the gathered and newly promoted ensigns.


	15. prelude 1

Captain Kirk glared at the self styled 'Guardians of Forever" defiantly. The luminous beings had gathered around him and his second in command, Mr. Spock in the main plaza of their strange ancient, and ruined city.

Kirk gnashed his teeth and opened his mouth to protest. _Crewman Beckwith, that murderous criminal, must be caught!_ Kirk paused and took a deep breath, something about them; something about their enigmatic character, made him pause to think the situation through more carefully.

"We are the Guardians of Forever, all times, all places are open to us," The chorus of deep voices, like temple bells echoed through the streets. The slender beings stood wreathed in flowing robes suffused with a glowing nimbus of light. Kirk could hear their voices resonate in his skull, but saw no evidence of the locomotion's of speech on their impassive faces.

"Fascinating," Spock breathed. He turned, "Captain, this would explain Crewman Beckwith's disappearance. If these beings truly have that power he could conceivably be anywhere, in any time period."

Mr. Spock continued to record all that transpired on his bulky tricorder device that he slung around his neck on a carrying strap like an ancient terran purse.

"I am tired of these 'elder beings' controlling us, meddling in our fates," Kirk grumbled to his second in command.

The Federation officer set his jaw and glared at the so-called 'omnipotent' beings, "I don't care how difficult it is, whether it's against your by-laws, of how much I may offend your philosophy; you send us after Beckwith! Nobody defames the Enterprise and Starfleet. Nobody murders a member of my crew."

Spock interjected, "Captain, logic dictates that we establish a means to return before we embark on this mission."

The luminous strangers spoke again, "you must choose to step forward now or return to your vessel."

Kirk glanced to his companion, "Spock?"

"We must assume that they mean what they say Captain. To delay means the we will lose any hope of catching Beckwith or undoing any damage that eh does in his new location."

Captain Kirk's communicator chirped as he flipped it open.

"Kirk to Enterprise, Mr. Sulu, do you read?"

"Yes Captain we read you," Sulu replied.

"Has there been any temporal distortion within sensor range since Beckwith beamed to the planet's surface?"

Sulu's voice returned after a short pause, "negative Captain."

"Good work Mr. Sulu. Wait a moment," he turned to his second in command, "Spock prepare to send all relevant data from your tricorder to the Enterprise."

"Aye, Captain."

Kirk took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, "Can we assume that Beckwith has not gone back in time then?"

Spock raised an eyebrow, "Interesting premise Captain, it would stand to reason that if Beckwith had gone into the past, any changes to out timeline would have caught up to us instantly. Thus our perceptions would be altered as well, and none of us would be able to discern the changes. The new reality would seem perfectly normal to us."

"We can't afford to philosophize about this Spock, even if Earth's timeline is safe, he could be doing damage somewhere else, or even in the future!" Kirk tossed his head and brought the communicator back to his lips.

"Mr. Sulu?"

"Yes, Captain?" The basso voice of his helmsman came back within moments.

"Prepare to receive a data transmission from Spock's tricorder. This is everything we have on this planet, the guardians, and their offer. I expect you to include all the information on Beckwith's alleged crimes, the murder of Ensign Lebeque and his dealing in the highly illegal 'jewels of sound'. If we don't return in eight hours break orbit and return to Starbase 113."

"Aye, Captain," Sulu replied, "transmission received."

"Good luck, Kirk out," he flipped his communicator closed then turned to Commander Spock, "Are you ready?"

"Of course Captain. Shall we?" The Vulcan gestured towards the center of the circle of guardians.

They strode forward and with a building white light vanished.

Two humans sat drinking refreshments in silence. A silver protocol droid moved jerkily to refill their cups and to serve pastries.

_What is thy bidding, my master?_ Senator Palpatine of Naboo sipped placidly at his drink and inclined his head slightly to the older and more powerful of the pair.

"More tea sir?" the droid asked.

The older man lifted a claw like hand from within his voluminous black robes and waved the mechanical servant away.

_Have you allowed the Jedi master Sifo Dyas to learn of the looming threat to the Republic?_ The old man returned to his brooding, slumped motionless in his seat.

_Yes master, he is one of the few Jedi that knows the worlds of economics and galactic geopolitics. He believes completely that civil war is now inevitable._ The representative to the galactic senate from the idyllic planet of Naboo smiled and set his cup down with a small motion of his hand rather than use his considerable talents of with the Force. His master may not approve of such a trivial use of the power of the force.

_And you have left a trail for him to follow? _His master asked silently.

_Yes my master, he should be at Kamino now to sign the agreement, and will soon after that, meet his destiny._

_Excellent, you have done well my pupil. Now, leave me. Go tot eh bridge and command the Nemoidians to set a course for Geonosis. I have dealings there. Also, bring me one of the slaves, I desire nourishment._

Palpatine kept his smile rigidly in place and rose with a soft rush of his senatorial robes, the only sound in the chamber besides their soft breathing. He used his powers with the Dark side of the force to subtly cloud his master's perceptions, allowing him to hear only those thoughts that Palpatine wished.

_As you command my master. Soon the republic will be plunged in to chaos and our time will come._

Darth Plagueis moved his head slightly to follow his protégé around the table and to the door. He gave a mental grumble. _Your thoughts betray you Darth Sidious. Be mindful of your pride and zeal. I too was once like you, the through the long centuries I have learned great patience, a lesson you would do well to learn_

_Yes my master. (If you would only teach me the secrets of immortality your miserable existence would already be at an end, you sermonizing old fool!)_

Darth Sidious, or Seantor Palpatine to his friends, bowed low and backed out ot the room. He waited motionless for the door to close completely.

_(You will learn another lesson master, to your very great displeasure, once Jedi Master Sifo Dyas returns with the bounty hunter it will be you who will face his wrath, not I. A dry old man will be no match for this young warrior, and then, I, Darth Sidious, will be the Sith Lord.)_

Palpatines musing were cut short. He sensed a small disturbance in the force in a distant part of the ship. He glanced in that direction and then quickly back at the door to sense his master's awareness. He felt his master reach out, probe the disturbance briefly, then return to his endless, life sustaining, meditations.

Sidious stifled his sense of relief, and then probed the disturbance himself. It was two beings, one human, and a boiling cauldron of emotions, held in check but very powerful. The other was human-like but cold and emotion-less.

"Interesting," Palpatine murmured, "Droid, inform security of two intruders in section 43, engineering deck, and both humanoid. Suggest that they be detained. We should not have violence if it can be avoided."


	16. Interlude 2

"Are you ready?" Reilly hissed softly at the team arrayed behind him. He had one hand on the mechanism that Brown insisted would open one of the smaller hatchways embedded waist high at various points around the cargo bay.  
The rest of the team nodded solemnly and he slammed the lever down

with a grunt and the accompanying squeal of rusted metal giving way.

The hatch popped open with an unceremonious sound of sand and grit

finally being dislodged and cascading over Reilly's feet. Immediately there

was a groan from the team. Light flooded inside forcing everyone to grope

for their tinted desert goggles, swearing softly.

"Move out!" O'neil hissed and half hopped half crawled out of the low

hatch while making even such a clumsy maneuver look smooth and graceful. 

Porro and Brown moved left while Kawalsky and Ferretti went right, Freeman

and Daniel followed Colonel O'neil while Reilly stepped out backwards and shut

the door behind him, glancing upwards with his M-4 carbine to make sure

nobody was preparing to lean out a hatch and drop a grenade on their

heads. He shuddered for a moment, trying to forget what it was like when 

alliance forces finally drove into Mumbai after the initial landings, he tried and

failed.

The team spread out and secured what looked like a barren sandy waste

abutting a nearly vertical cliff face of red sandstone. The rock wall rose to 

their right hand side, and the tracks left by massive caterpillar treads wound

into the distance in front of them, crushing several small dunes within sight.

Off to the left was a flat and barren plain choked off by a narrow canyon.

They were in a cul de sac. O'neil kicked at the tracks briefly and motioned

for everyone to cluster behind the huge vehicle.

"So, where are those little yellow eyed guys?" Daniel asked a little too

loudly.

A moment later they could hear the sounds carried on the dusty wind. A

series of electronic beeps and a cacophony of yips, barks, and squeals. O'neil 

moved to the edge of the sand crawler and glanced around the corner.

"We've got company," he said.

"Why, who is it?"

"Uh, Cosmonouts on lizards," O'neil quipped.

A man in a white spacesuit decorated in a slightly different fashion from

the others approached several of the short robed creatures standing beside

the Sandcrawler. The EOD robot sat placidly in the sand along with a half 

dozen other bedraggled looking machines. The largest of the short robes

desert dwellers, no more than four feet high move up to the leader of the

spacemen and began a rapid fire conversation that the Spec-ops men could

just make out. Although they could hear the voices, they had no Idea what

they were talking about.

Several of the space suited men approached sporting long barreled

weapons that looked heavy and intimidating next to the Spec-ops M4

Carbines and MP5's.

One of the spacemen turned away from the discussion and began

speaking to a third party, a couple of bespectacled and uncomfortable 

looking civilian types, one holding a small box in one hand and ponting it

towards the action, and the other talking slowly with the Spaceman while

nodding solemnly towards the man with the little black box. After a moment

the last white suited spaceman and the two civilians dismounted from their

lizard and joined the discussion.

The spaceman leader shouted an order at the smaller creatures who

looked surprised and alarmed, prompting the leader to repeat his command

and wave his arms a little.

Slowly, the little creatures moved towards him.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked from his position behind the caterpillar

treads.

O'neil turned on him, "You're the genius, why don't you tell us what 

they're saying?"

Daniel looked mystified, "I don't speak... whatever it is they are using.

That's gibberish to me."

"Oh, great some expert you are--man if you fuck this mission up I am

gonna--"

"--can it Ferreti, ok, Jackson, you better come up with something quick, 

we are not equipped to get into a first contact situation, especially not with

another military force, midget garbage men is one thing, this is another.

Let's get that Stargate started up and get outta here." He motioned with his

thumb towards the hatch.

"Uh, there's a problem, I'm sure I can dial us back home--" Daniel

mumbled.

"I hear a 'but' coming," Reilly chimed.

"But..." Daniel mumbled.

O'neil's face went white, "What do you mean 'but'?"

Daniel opened his mouth to reply when a few more of the small creatures

exited the vehicle in order to get a look at what was going on.

Everyone in the team froze as the 'midget garbage men' trundled past

their hiding place without so much as a downward glance.

Suddenly there was a musical chirp and one of the creatures said in plain

English: "Data to Counselor Troi, come in please."

Luke sat with his arms crossed in the passenger seat throwing dark looks

Data's way as the droid piloted his craft skillfully along the rocky canyons 

missing obstructions and outcroppings at a speed that rivaled his own locally

renowned skills.

"I don't have the biological life forms propensity for piloting craft at

unsafe velocities, but in the case of an emergency I can engage in such 

activities as long as said actions do not endanger... BUzz Buzzz bzzzzz..."

Luke and Biggs glanced at one another and shut out Data's ramblings

which merged with the whipping wind into an incoherent background noise.

Artoo suddenly came to life, squealing and rotating his domed head

rapidly.

"What is it Artoo?" Biggs asked.

"Artoo has pinpointed the signal, It is just beyond that ridge, less than a

Kilometer from here," Data announced.

Data's communicator chirped and emitted a rapid fire conversation

between a half dozen high pitched voices arguing over something 'valuable.'

"Oh great, frackin' Jawas!" Luke cried, slamming a fist on the console.

"Listen, the jewel talked!"

"It's not a jewel then dummy, it's a--."

"--Well, what did it--?"

"---I don't know but if you'd all shut up maybe we could hear it."

The argument between the Jawas erupted suddenly and they all fought

and squabbled over the silver and gold emblem.

"Don't fracking ignore me you little scum!" the Stormtrooper Captain

shouted, "tell me, is this your cousins Droid or isn't it?" He pointed a 

gauntleted finger at the EOD Bot sitting forlornly on the desert floor.

Another of the small creatures moved over to try to protest the officer's

actions.

"Hey! Am I talking to you? AM I TALKING TO YOU! Then stay over

there and shut your mouth, Eh? Now if you move again I'm gonna shootcha."

'We can understand them!' Daniel thought, "We have to do something,

this could turn ugly!"

"Dr. Jackson, you are a civilian so I am gonna say this as respectfully as

possible, but shut the fuck up now or I swear to fucking God--"

"--At ease Kawalsky, we're leaving, now."

The team began to crawl backwards, and the watch that Kawalsky's

grandfather carried in WWII caught a random beam of sunlight and gleamed

for only a moment, but that moment was more than enough.

"Rebels!" came the shout, followed by a shot from the hip that caught

Freeman in the upper chest spraying superheated blood and bone

fragments over Brown and Reilly.

"Fuck!"

The chatter of automatic weapons fire rose in response to the blaster

bolt, scything through the Stormtrooper ranks and dropping them like flies.

Dewbacks plunged and ran wild, unable to understand the dozens of wound

which erupted along their bodies. Not enough to kill them but enough to

drive them mad with pain.

One of the imperial stormtroopers on picket duty astride a Dewback 

chose that moment to link his helmets drinking tube to the contained of

water strapped to his back thus taking his eyes off the horizon for a moment

too long.

"Good shot mister Luke," Data shouted above the wind, the 

Stormtrooper tumbled from his mount, dead before he hit the ground, a victim

of Luke's long barreled blaster rifle. The speeder careened through the valley

with Luke, Biggs, and Data blasting away at the stunned Imperials. But there

was something else as well, a rapid popping noise accompanied by small 

flashes of light coming from the rear of the Jawa carrier.

"What's that?" Biggs asked.

"I believe those are the signs of twentieth or early twenty-first century

firearms," Data shouted and stunned another trooper trying to turn and face

the new threat. 

"Oh."

One of the stormtroopers hit the desert floor with bone crunching

force, 'I'm hit! I'm hit!' he though furiously, but the did a split second self 

assessment. _Wait a minute, I'm hit but it didn't kill me._ He glanced

down and saw several dark metal blobs embedded in his armor. _I'm alive!_

They're weapons don't do a fracking thing!

The trooper glanced over to his partner and saw a pool of blood

spreading over the desert sands from where one of the rebel projectile

weapons had hit him in the throat. _Okay, almost nothin'._


End file.
